John took point as his main role is to be the tank of the group. All of us knew our roles when we were in a group battle. I will be the one attacking while providing debuffs, Rose will provide buffs while looking for opportunities to attack the opponent's weak points, while Pietro will support John by blocking attacks with his spear and attacking from range. The four of us can cover each other's weak spots, which is probably the main reason why the guilds agreed to work together in a group of four. If only the Elemental guild was willing to join in on the fun.
Rose stood behind while the three of us took point. Her Accelerate spell should be ready by now, but her Light Blessing might still be on cooldown. I doubt my Fear spell would have any effect on this Greater Ddemon, which was why I didn't bother about it. I should focus all my energy on attacking instead.
John used his Combat Fortify spell, which increases his attack powers, but sadly, it doesn't affect allies. He rushed in head-on towards the demon with Pietro following behind. I followed along, heading closer to the demon, but waited for a better opportunity to support both of them. John swung his giant axe in a downward strike. He must be aiming for the demon's head directly. The demon dodged backwards only to find Pietro's spear going straight for the demon's eye. The demon lunged into the air, trying to fly away from the attack, but it was too late. Before it managed to fly high enough, I was able to jump high enough onto its back and attempted to slice off both of its wings. The demon reacted quickly and spun its body mid-flight, causing one of its wings to strike me in my left arm; but I was fast enough to slice off its right wing. For me to slice it off this easily, it must have been cartilages instead of bones within the wing.
The demon fell back to the ground but immediately dashed towards John with a shoulder charge. John took the unexpected attack head-on and flew some distance away. It then slashed its claws towards Pietro, which sliced through his spear and injured his chest. That attack did not even make contact with the spear yet, but it was able to slice through it. It rushed towards me with both claws extended. This demon is reacting much faster than before when it was using its katana. I focused all my utmost attention on the demon to predict its movements while ignoring the stinging pain in my left arm.
Before it even reached me, it took a swipe at me with its claws. I dodged as I knew the wind pressure alone was strong enough to dice me apart. Four straight marks dug into the ground. It then took another swipe at me sideways, to which I had to leap up into the air using a tree trunk as a foothold. Another four straight marks sliced through the other tree trunks, and all of them started collapsing. The demon leaped towards me now in an attempt to sink its claws into me directly.
"Play time is over, human," shouted the demon.
Too bad for you, I had already predicted your intentions when you could not hurt me with your wind pressures.
I shouted at Rose, and she cast Light Blessing. A short spear and a small axe flew and hit the demon on the back. Pietro and John did not miss their opportunity with the blessing. Having drank a strength potion earlier, I swung Inazuma towards the demon's claw that was extended towards me. I sliced in between the fingers and through the arm's bones. I held Inazuma two-handed and swung it sideways towards the demon's head. I put all my powers into that swing, hoping to slice through its thick skull along with the brain.
Whoosh
Did I do it? Did I manage to slice through? Huh? The demon lifted its head at the last moment, which caused me to decapitate it instead.
"Shit," I grunted. The demon knew full well that it wouldn't die by having its head removed.
I fell back to the ground and got ready for its next attack. The demon had already reattached its head before touching the ground. What ridiculous healing factor, even with my wax coating? How did we even win the war against these demons on the battlefield?
It focused its attention on me. I could hear Pietro and John coming in close from behind me. Rose shouldn't be far behind as well. If we continue to push the attack, we might stand a chance of winning. I took a quick opportunity to glance behind to check on John and Pietro. John had bruises all over, while Pietro was bleeding from his chest. He was holding the sharp end of his main spear, which was sliced apart. This means that he can no longer support as effectively as he did before. We need to strike with more precision now before the fight drags on.
The demon turned its body to glare at us. Steam was flowing out of its mouth while its eyes began to turn red and bloodshot. What's it trying to do?
Thump thump, thump thump
Huh? What was that?? I held my head and my chest. All the others followed suit. I could hear whisperings in my head. I tried my best to focus on the demon, but dark thoughts were filling my mind. It was telling me to kill, to hunt for blood. Blood was the only thing that I needed. We were all losing our consciousness. Cold breaths were forming when I exhaled.
Pietro rushed towards John with his broken spear and stabbed John in the arm. John retaliated and swung his axe. Pietro tried to dodge away, but he still received a cut on his torso. Damn it! They are going to end up killing each other in their frenzied state!
Even Rose is starting to look really juicy with all that blood inside her. No, snap out of it! I need to help those two, but I am close to losing consciousness myself! This must be the Bloodlust state that Kronk was talking about.
Shit, Rose is charging towards me now with her rapier held straight. I tossed Inazuma away and leaped towards her before I succumbed to the frenzied state. The last thing I recalled before losing consciousness was hugging Rose.
"Using bloodlust against these humansss. You had certainly gone weak sss" said a voice.
All of us regained our consciousness. The first thing I saw was a white shoulder on my left vision. I am glad that I did not attack Rose and ended up hugging her instead. Ouch! My left flank hurts. I moved back a little and Rose's rapier dangled from my clothes. She must have moved her stab aside before she lost control of herself and ended up dealing a glancing blow on me instead.
I turned to look at Rose, and her face was pale as she shivered. It was as though she could not believe the fact that she had attacked me. I quickly assured her that I was fine and it was not her fault at all. I held onto my wound to try to lessen the bleeding. After a quick glance at the situation, I noticed that the demon was blocking Kronk's staff with its arm. Kronk had seemingly saved us from killing each other, but he was risking his life in order to help us. We needed to support him as best as we could. What happened to the other two, by the way?
The two of them were bleeding in several places, but they were still standing. Did they really fight due to the frenzied state, or were they just mad at each other? But at least they had stopped fighting and readied themselves to support Kronk. Are they even able to fight with those wounds, though?
"W— what are you doing here? Why are you here?!" shouted the demon.
"Why should I not be, sss? I am from this continent after all, sss," said Kronk.
"Aren't you supposed to be in another realm by now?! Why is the Second Great Power here?!" the demon shouted.
W— what? Second Great Power? Kronk is— Sladar Slitherman? For real?!
"I am just a lowly reptilian, sss. Your small eyes must have mistaken me for someone else, sss," said Kronk? Sladar? I no longer understand what's going on.
The demon leaped back. I can see that it was still using bloodlust as steam was coming out of its mouth along with bloodshot eyes. Sladar's eyes, on the other hand, were glowing. He told us to stay back as this is his fight now. We certainly cannot beat it in this form.
"And here I thought all the remnants of the Demon King's army were hunted down to the last sss. I am surprised you were able to evade our detections for so long. You must have cowered in fear and hid like the pathetic insect sss you are," said Sladar.
The demon roared and regenerated its wings. Even the left arm that I sliced off had regenerated back. Sladar readied himself with his staff. Will that flimsy-looking stick be able to withstand the demon's attack? The demon lunged at Sladar in an attempt to slash with its claws. Sladar parried the slash and struck back at the demon's head immediately. The demon continued to attack with a flurry of slashes. All of them were either dodged or countered by Sladar's staff. The demon is being cornered by him.
The demon then used wind pressure from its claws. Sladar dodged them skilfully like an acrobat. The demon seemed to be panicking now and started swinging its claws in every direction. The terrain and landscapes were being destroyed from the wind pressures. Claw marks were appearing everywhere. We need to stay way, WAY back now! Thank the above that none of us were struck by it!
Among the flurry of attacks, Sladar found an opportunity and leapt in with a Falcon Kick to the demon's torso. He then struck his staff on the ground and used it as a pole to deliver another kick to the demon's face. Is it me, or is Sladar actually enjoying himself?
The demon is definitely getting overwhelmed by Sladar as it could barely even touch him. Feeling the dire situation, it decided to take flight and escape.
"Hey, get back here, sss!" shouted Sladar.
Is Sladar going to fight the demon mid-air? How is he planning to do that without wings?
Sladar leapt from the ground to chase after the demon with his tail wrapping around the staff. He then used his staff as a foothold to propel himself in mid-air. How is that even possible?! The strength of his tail must be insane to be able to pull that off. The demon was not expecting that Sladar was able to give chase and took a punch from Sladar. Shockwaves appeared from where Sladar struck the demon. Why does it look like I am looking at Superman fighting with Zod now?
The demon struck back with its claws and wind pressure. Sladar tried to avoid as much as he could, but his mobility is limited while he is in the air. One of the wind pressures sliced off Sladar's left arm below the bicep.
"Ah, I must be getting rusty, sss," said Sladar as he instantly regrew his arm back.
So this is the ridiculous regeneration that made him number two. If only all reptilians had such regeneration capability. No, wait, scratch that idea. That would make them the strongest demon then. Might be worse than fighting against demons if that was true.
Sladar leaped in towards the demon while nimbly dodging the wind pressures. He readied his staff and struck the demon on the collarbone. A shockwave appeared again, which rumbled the surrounding landscapes, or what's left of them. The demon started to fall, but Sladar did not miss his opportunity to deliver more pain. He used Fury Strikes on the demon, which is a technique by the Dragon Guild. It starts with two strikes, followed by four, eight, sixteen, all the way to 128 strikes.
The demon fell to the ground with Sladar's foot stomping on its face. No mercy by the Second Great Power, indeed. Hard to believe a reptilian had regeneration power that even Greater Demons couldn't rival. Sladar was about to deliver the killing blow when it decided to plead for mercy. Most of his bones must had been shattered by now, as it could barely even move.
"P— please… let me go— I'll stop the attack on the town— It won't be harmed any longer" grunted the demon.
"Really? You do that then, sss," said Sladar. I can hear sarcasm in his tone.
"Done! The demons won't be attacking the town anymore— please, let me go," pleaded the demon.
"Ah— you see, I would like to, sss. But I just don't trust sss a demon from the Demon King's army. You made it personal by attacking my town, sss," said Sladar with a commanding tone.
"Screw your inferior race! You were never one of us! Your kind does not fit in this world—" the demon was cut short by Sladar.
Sladar slammed his staff onto the demon's skull, which shattered like an egg. He stood there for a time before turning to look at us. Was he checking to see whether it would regenerate itself or something?
"Well, now that that's settled. Let us return, sss," said Sladar.
All of us lifted our hands. There was no way any of us were beating a member of the Four Great Powers. Not to mention he is number TWO. Is Tom this powerful as well? Sladar's display of power made me realise how weak I really am right now. Revenge is definitely off the table for the time being. Sladar waved his hands as he asked us to calm ourselves. He has no interest in fighting us when he was the one who created this secret quest in the first place.
The four of us dropped to the floor with a sigh of relief. We started tending to our wounds before we ended up bleeding to death. Rose came over and tended to mine when I noticed that one of her legs had melted flesh. Was it due to the giant sundew's tentacle coils? I hadn't realised it could melt flesh this quickly.
I told Rose to tend to her own injuries as I could tend to my own. She rejected my proposal and said that my injury was because of her and it was only due fit that she tended to it. Alright then.
Upon finishing wrapping my wounds, she got up and thought of heading to another location to tend to her own wounds, but I lifted her up and carried her princess-style towards a tree trunk. She was caught off guard and started screaming "Put me down!" as she wriggled about, but I ignored her with a dull expression.
I leaned her against a tree trunk and inspected her wounds. Ugh, even her boots had melted. That is going to take some time to remove all the melted leather. Thankfully, her wounds were not too serious. A little healing cream, and it will start the healing process. Rose pulled her skirt lower and pouted. She thought I was trying to take a peek at her underwear? Why would I even want to do that? I ignored her and started smearing the cream on her foot.
"Onii-chan, this is embarrassing. Please, just let me do it," she covered her face with her hands.
"Nonsense, you tended to my wounds, so I should tend to yours. Make things fair," I told her.
She began easing up as I smeared the cream on her. At one point, I noticed that she was lifting up her skirt a little. I stared at her with a confused look and noticed that her face was flushed. Even though the others couldn't see us directly, she really shouldn't be doing this. I quickly stood up and sighed as I had finished tending to her wounds. Was I mistaken in thinking that Rose was trying to seduce me?
We waited for the others to finish tending to their wounds. I noticed that Sladar was staring at the demon's corpse from a distance. Hm? There was—a small aura or some sort of spirit that seemed to be floating above the body. Sladar walked closer to inspect. The spirit suddenly started speaking.
"Sllaadddaarrr— sttiill tthhee peerrssiittanntt iinnsseecctt yooouuuu aaarrreee," said the spirit.
"And you still clinging to life sss. When will you finally die sss" said Sladar.
"Yyoouu— Hhaawwtthhoorrnn.. I'll bbee bbaacckk," said the spirit before dissipating away.
W— What the hell was that? How did it even know my last name?
"Um, what was that?" I asked Sladar.
"Hm? Oh, just some remnants of the Demon King's influence, sss. Think nothing of it, sss," he answered.
"Should we be worried that the Demon King might return?" I asked.
"Can't say, sss. It's been years, but there is no evidence sss, of his return," said Sladar.
"Y— you're a Hawthorn?" asked Pietro.
Shoot. I had completely forgotten that Pietro was the only one here who doesn't know about my secret identity. I'm going to need to do something to keep his mouth shut, or I might have to migrate elsewhere.
"Um, yes. Not many people know about this. Please, please keep it a secret," I bowed to him as a request.
"I—see. I'll keep it a secret. I promise," answered Pietro.
"You better. Or I'll come for your head," said John as he grabbed Pietro's collar.
"Woah, woah, hey, hey, no need to fight anymore, is there?" I tried to disperse the fight between them.
John finally released Pietro's collar after some time, but Pietro did the unthinkable. He sat down on the ground seiza-style and bowed to us, asking for forgiveness. He told us of his reasoning for why he chose to make a decision. On one of his previous quests, he was an indecisive leader and caused the death of many of his party members. He vowed to be decisive in all of his future quests whenever he became the leader. To him, making a decision will always be better than making none.
Sladar gave praise to Pietro. He said that if he had not attracted the demon with the firework, he would have rushed towards the demon to kill it instead. John, on the other hand, was still in a sulky mood. How I wished Lily was here to help out. Their dynamic compatibility always brought up each other's moods immediately.
We finally decided to head back after making sure that the demon did not somehow resurrect itself for good. I recalled the demon's katana, which prompted me to look for it. Rose found it first and tried to lift it. It barely made a budge. John took over and tried to lift it, but even he couldn't move it at all. No luck for Pietro either. But strangely, I was able to lift the katana with ease, to which I quickly looked at all three of them with squinted eyes. Are they trolling with me? The three of them shook their heads while waving their hands in front of their faces.
Sladar held the katana, but even he had trouble lifting it. I can see his bulging muscles straining as he lifted the katana, so he was definitely not lying. He said that he could technically lift the katana, but it is going to be pointless to wield it. Not only will it be ineffective in combat, but it was draining his strength constantly. He told me that the legendary weapon had chosen me to be the next wielder, which was why I was able to lift it with ease.
How is that possible? I already have a legendary weapon and gauntlets of my own. Now I have to carry another legendary weapon? What is going on?
I slotted the katana in my left hip along with Inazuma. Please get along and don't fight. I hope these two weapons don't randomly start making explosions on my hips.
***
On our journey back, I asked Sladar what he meant when he told us that he was the one who asked us to come. Why would he even need us in the first place? He told us his side of the story. Firstly, we are to continue calling him Kronk instead of Sladar. Secondly, he had been undercover for many years as a guide. His purpose was to keep an eye on this continent for any signs of the Demon King's return. He volunteered himself after the war, and the other two Great Powers agreed. Being undercover meant that the demons were less wary, and it will be much easier for him to search for signs. No demon will be willing to flaunt around or resummon the Demon King right out in the open if they knew that the second member of the Great Powers was lurking in this continent.
At first, he assumed that it was just some random demon that was causing commotion, which was why he requested the guild for help. However, when he saw a Great Demon appearing in town, he knew something wasn't right. Only a Greater Demon is capable of ordering a Great Demon into attacking the town directly. They had always steered clear of the town as there was nothing of interest for them. He actually went to collect his staff upon seeing the Great Demon, but we ended up defeating it before he made it back, which he commended us for. He was surprised that we knew how to defeat the demon on our first encounter. Only Great Demon and higher-ranking demons can be killed this way. The Demon King, on the other hand, would require absolute destruction of its entire body in order to kill it. Sadly, though, no one was capable of doing it. Even Ivy was not able to defeat the Demon King during the previous war.
"Well, I wish I can continue sss with the story but we really need to run for it, NOW sss. A death-storm is approaching us!!" shouted Kronk.
All of us ran with our might, seeking shelter. Good thing we managed to find a vacant cave nearby. It was actually starting to drizzle before we made it to the cave. I can see Rose's cloak starting to sizzle when the droplets made contact with it. We checked our wearables when we were inside the cave and found a couple of holes in them. Even my chained cloak had holes exposing the hidden chains underneath. Guess I'm going to need to change my cloak in the near future.
Although death-storms occur on this continent, it is usually a rare occurrence according to Kronk. I guess we were lucky, or unlucky if you look at it. Surprisingly though, many flora or fauna had built resistance to the weathers of this continent, so the majority of the landscape retained itself, even with acids pouring over it. Otherwise, the entire continent would have been a barren, inhospitable wasteland by now.
***
After settling down with a small campfire, I continued my conversation with Kronk. Who knew the Second Great Power would be such a sociable character? I even joked with him, saying that with his regeneration powers, he could have survived the death-storm if he wanted to. He said he had tried before when he was caught off guard. While he technically could survive for a couple of minutes, his body would eventually give in due to complete exhaustion of all his energy to regenerate his wounds. He is certainly not keen on experiencing that again.
I further asked whether he knew about my father or mother. He said that he only knew about Jack Hawthorn during the war. To him, he was just a common adventurer when they first met. Little did he know that Jack would become a hero along with my mother. Surprisingly, Jack was the first to injure the Demon King with his weapon, even when the other Three Great Powers could not. I showed Kronk whether Inazuma was the weapon in question, and he nodded while requesting to take a peek. I unsheathed the weapon and showed him, as he refused to hold Inazuma. He said that any legendary weapon that is chosen by the weapon should not be held by another. Legendary weapons are fickle objects that do not like to be shared.
After inspecting it with his eyes, he knew very well that this was the weapon in question that injured the Demon King. He remembered how the green weapon glimmered brightly as it stabbed through the Demon King's torso. Even the Demon King was caught off guard by the strength of this weapon.
"Truth be told, sss—" he stopped all of a sudden.
He asked me to unsheathe the katana that was wielded by the demon. I obeyed and tried to show him, but— huh? I can't lift the weapon? What is going on?
I tried my best to lift the weapon, but failed horribly. What's going on? I can lift it earlier, so why can't I do it now? I slotted Inazuma back at my hips and tried once more. Huh? I can lift it now?
I quickly turned to look at Kronk, and he chuckled. He seemed to understand what was going on, but I did not. I unsheathed the katana, which glowed with a dark purple hue. The scabbard had an even darker purple colour. It certainly had some weight to it, but not as ridiculous as earlier. After showing it to Kronk, he said that this is possibly the weapon that my mother wielded previously. He sort of remembered the unique purple blade that my mother wielded.
Is this really what my mother used last time? I thought Vikings preferred to use axes over anything else? Thinking I can find out more about this, I asked him, but Kronk just shrugged as he said that he knew very little about my mother.
Hm, why would a Greater Demon even force itself to wield this katana? To exert dominance over the other demons that it can wield a weapon strong enough to hurt the Demon King? Perhaps that was why it refuses to dispose of this weapon, even though it was weakening itself constantly.
I decided to change the topic and asked Kronk whether he knew about Tom Snapdragon. He had no idea about the Fourth as he did not participate in the war. Tom was actually not the Fourth during the time of the war. He gained that title after defeating the previous holder and became infamous due to his assassinations. How he actually defeated the previous member, no one really knew.
I clenched my fist. And here I thought I could finally gain some information about him. Kronk seemed to notice my frustration and decided to call everyone into our conversation. He decided to tutor us on what occurred to us when we fought the Greater Demon today. Should we wish to face stronger opponents in the future, then we will need to understand about the type of powers in this world.
Firstly, there is the body, which is explained by stats. We need to raise our stats according to our needs. No one is capable of majoring in every stat throughout their lives. At some point, stats will cease to increase no matter how much they train. Kronk is about 1,000 years old now and his stats no longer increased no matter what he did.
Next up is our equipment. There is a special spell that is only taught on the Eastern continent, which helps in fortifying our equipment. Not only will it strengthen our equipment, it can turn it into a re-summonable object. Kronk forgot what it was called as he had not used it for many years now. He apologised to us that he cannot elaborate more on this portion as his staff had no need for such a spell. He told us that his staff was a legendary weapon, which we all questioned. It looked more like a flimsy walking stick more than anything else. He confessed that his initial reaction was the same, but it was due to its appearance that it remained unused for such a long time until he came along. It would make for the perfect concealed weapon as no one would expect this flimsy ass stick to be anything more than a walking stick.
Last but not least is our mind. What we experienced earlier was Bloodlust, which is in the category of Higher State of Mind. He broke down the types of 'State of Mind' as best as he could.
First is the Basic State, which is called 'random thoughts'. This is how everyone's mind functions every day. Then, we move on to Focused State of Mind, which the East calls Ekāgratā or Concentration, as I call it. Adventurers that had plenty of combat experience might end up learning this on their own. It is safe to say that the majority of people are capable of learning this if their mind is disciplined enough.
Next up is the Higher State of Mind, which branches into two categories: passive or aggression. Every living being is only capable of using a single path. Very rarely do adventurers achieve this state on their own. Very few beings are capable of achieving this either through experience, training, or just sheer luck. Apparently, both of my parents were capable of using this. My father favoured the passive path, while my mother followed the aggressive one. Oh, I guess I took after my mother, seeing that I can somehow use Bloodlust the last time.
Even selected demons are only capable of using this state. Demons usually favour the path of aggression, which is known as Bloodlust. Kronk can also use Bloodlust after figuring out that he favoured the aggressive state. The elves, on the other hand, had discovered the opposite of Bloodlust, which they call Dhāraṇā or also known as Focused Meditation. In this state, the elves were capable of fighting toe to toe with the demons.
My father was also able to learn this, and he used it during the war. His close relationship with the elves had given him the opportunity to learn from them.
Wait, hold on. Was my father close with the elves because he wanted to learn from them, or did he just fancy the female elves in general? Kronk shrugged at my remarks. It was not as though he knew my father enough to discover his fetishes.
Last but not least, is the highest form the mind can achieve, which is known as the Absolute State of Mind. To date, only two living beings were able to achieve this state. The strongest elf, which is also known as the strongest of the Four Great Powers, Ivy Moonshine. She is the only one capable of achieving what they call Dhyāna, which some referred to as Effortless Meditation. All her accumulative battle experience made her capable of using this state subconsciously. The other living being was the Demon King. His Blood Rage was a fearsome state that even Ivy had difficulty fighting the Demon King alone. At his peak, the Demon King was certainly the strongest this entire realm had to offer.
I asked Kronk that during our battle with the Greater Demon, the four of us were affected by Bloodlust. But after Kronk came to help us, the effect dissipated. What actually happened? He explained that the demon was caught off guard by his sudden appearance, which affected his Bloodlust. Kronk was also using Perfect Concentration on the Greater Demon, which helped nullify the effect for us. So does this mean that a lower State of Mind can combat the effects of a stronger one? Sadly, that's not really the case. Even if one does not know how to use Concentration, as long as the mind is disciplined and strong, the effects can be countered.
Silence filled the cave when Kronk finished his story. All of us knew full well that our minds were not disciplined enough to fight with stronger demons. I was feeling more depressed after hearing about these states. And here I thought I was close enough to have my revenge, but I was naive. I should have assumed that Tom is capable of at least using Bloodlust, judging by his personality. I certainly need to be much stronger now if I wish to stand a chance in defeating him. The destination of my revenge just seemed so far away, no matter how hard I tried.
We decided to camp the night as the storm went on. I rolled out the sleeping bag next to Rose and lay down. I asked her about the strange, terrified state she was in after we fell down the cliff. Was she afraid of heights? She explained that it was more like she was terrified by the idea of falling. The feeling of vertigo made her feel helpless, and panic took over her, making her uncertain about what she needed to do. She hugged me and said thanks, which I petted her head. I need to be stronger. The thought of losing Rose never occurred to me until today. I should have brought my gauntlets with me, which might have helped out in this battle. No more fooling around in the future; I will make sure to prepare myself for any situations, every single moment, even if I'm just going for a walk. Always expect the worst this world has to offer.
***
"So— what are the odds that you decided to crawl to my host, eh? How does it feel to be dragged around by a demon? Heh heh," said Kirin.
Once again I'm in a dream world with Kirin. Who is he talking to? Oh hey, a white tiger! Aww, so fluffy~ Wait, is it going to attack me? It is looking really feral right now.
"Grr— You don't even know what it's like to be forcefully dragged around. You were lucky that the humans found you right after the war while I was dragged away by that idiotic demon. I had been draining its strength for decades and yet it was still strong enough to swing me around like a damn fool. You should be lucky, boy. If I had not weakened the demon to this extent, the four of you would have been dead on the spot," said the white tiger.
"Come now, you think I would let my host die? I intend to keep my chosen alive as long as possible. Unlike a certain being," Kirin said while insinuating something. He seems to be having fun with this white tiger.
"Jane fought heroically at Jack's side! Your host perished in the war too! Don't act all cocky about keeping your host alive when he died as well!" shouted the white tiger.
"Hah! Jack was the one who dealt the first injury to the Demon King while you all barely even scratched him. I remember Jack saving your sorry ass a few times during that fight," said Kirin as he made a fu fu chuckle.
"Just because you dealt the first damage does not mean you contributed the most. Jane took off the Demon King's arm, which was something you couldn't do. Your horn can never be as strong as my fangs," said the white tiger.
"I'll rip those bloody fangs off you right here right now!!" shouted Kirin.
"Bring it on you damn unicorn!!" shouted the white tiger.
Oh dear Lord, stop shaking and destroying this dream world!!
"Ano— what is going on?" I lifted my right hand while sitting on the ground seiza style.
"Hmm? Forgot you were even here. I am Byakko, and the blade you will be wielding is called Tengu-kaze. It was your mother's, and now it's officially yours. Wield it with pride," said Byakko as he puffed up his chest.
"HAR?! Over my dead body! This is my chosen host! Go find your own!" shouted Kirin.
"What better host to wield me than the son of Jane Gladiolus? He had already shown his potential in using the aggression path," said Byakko while being impressed.
"No, his potential lies in his ability to use the passive path just like his father. He will not be using the aggression path while wielding me," said Kirin.
"Wait, time out! My mum is a Gladiolus? Is John my cousin then?!" I shouted in surprise.
"On that, I do not know. Such trivial matters are not within our matters of concern. You, on the other hand, are not," said Byakko.
"You are certainly different, boy. I do not know any other living being that is capable of using both paths. Tread carefully," said Kirin.
There was a moment of silence as I processed what they had just told me. Huh? I can use both paths? Didn't Sladar just mention that each person can only use a single path? How did I end up with two? Gasp, am I the chosen one? Heh heh. In my dreams, alright. Oh wait, I am in one.
"So— I can decide which path I should follow or something? How does this even work?" I asked both of them.
"That is for you to discover. In the meantime, focus on the path of aggression. You had already used it once, and I can sense that you can use it much easier than the other path," said Byakko.
"No way! He has been trained to use the passive path since he was young. That is certainly the right path for him," Kirin complained.
"Alright, stop, both of you. I don't even know how to use any of the paths yet. How about I just hang on to Tengu-kaze in the meantime? No complaints about that, right?" I tried compromising with these two.
"Fine," said both of them simultaneously.
"Are you two rivals or something? Why do you two keep fighting with each other?" I asked both of them.
"We came to this land together. You can say we are sort of like rivals, but we meant no ill intention to one another," explained Kirin.
Really? What was it about you two ripping each other's fangs or horns earlier then?
"You can say that we are like water and oil, which is why we are always at odds with each other," explained Byakko.
"What is your element, Byakko? Kirin uses lightning, right?" I asked them.
"My element is wind. Hence the reason why the demon uses wind pressure when he wields me. Wind is stronger than lightning, I assure you," said Byakko.
Lightning and wind. Ah, no wonder they are at odds with one another. This reminded me of a certain ramen topping anime.
"I beg your pardon, but lightning can literally obliterate the opponent instantly. Wind takes its time to even reach its opponent. So much for being stronger," said Kirin.
Please—kill me now. These two will never stop bickering with each other. Thankfully, I can see the world fading before me. This is the first time I cannot wait to wake up from this dream world.
Upon waking up, I tested the weight of Tengu-kaze. I can finally lift it up without Inazuma at my hip. Was it because the two of them were at odds with one another or that Byakko had not accepted me? Who knows. But I might have to start learning how to dual-wield if I wish to use both of them together. Perhaps someday, but not today.
***
It took us five days to finally reach back town, which was perfectly intact. Ah, finally we can travel home. Two weeks in this continent felt like two years. Upon reaching the town, John caved and tried to make amends with Pietro. He told us his side of the story that there was a party leader that always made rash decisions and caused the entire party to be killed except for John. John was the only survivor for that particular quest, and he was thankful that he even managed to make it back alive. To him, life matters and should not be thrown away on a whim. Especially when he was given a second chance by my grandfather.
Both John and Pietro shook hands that looked like an epic handshake. They had their misunderstandings, but there was no right or wrong in that situation. Both sides had flaws, yet none was the perfect choice.
In the end, the three of us were suspicious of Pietro over nothing. We were in the wrong to be suspicious of him in the first place. I guess our instincts were wrong. Or were we?
We stayed a night at Sliddy's bar before heading back west the following day. Kronk certainly told his version of the story about how we were able to defeat the Greater Demon to Sliddy. Seems like even the citizens of this town don't know about his identity.
Kronk guided us back the following day. Once again, we took a boat and then a carriage back to City Of Pines. Ah, I would certainly like to stay in the city for at least a year before thinking about going anywhere else for an adventure. How wrong was I?