"What? What are they doing?"
"They are... transferring Revenants? A train has stopped nearby and they are filling it with Revenants by luring them with some kind of robots."
"Shit, Revenants might sense the Kana barriers. Guys, we have to go," Jack said urgently.
"Okay, let's ask if he is coming," Ethan suggested.
Jack nodded, and they both walked over to Kazetora.
He was standing silently in the corner, reading the letter over and over, his eyes wide in disbelief and shock.
"I was right... that is indeed Kazekiri... so you killed my brother and took it, huh?" he said as he saw Jack and Ethan approach.
"You are not entirely wrong. Your brother was in their organization and part of the group that cornered me," Jack responded bluntly. "He had it coming for him."
"You—"
"Anyways, I don't know where you are headed to, or how many people you have with yourself. Our camp just noticed some Ortho Sapiens nearby, so we are heading over just in case. You wanna come with?" Jack asked.
"You... don't deserve that sword. I will come with you. I am taking care of 27 people right now, including those two kids. I want you to have a duel with me later. I will take the sword."
"Yeah, no problem," Jack said nonchalantly, reaching into his item pouch and pulling out a pocket tent. "The people being protected by you can stay in this. Go get them ready. We leave in 10 minutes," Jack instructed as he explained the working of the device.
"You're not my boss," Kazetora mumbled as he took the tent.
"I know I am not, but I would still appreciate it if we worked together," Jack said, offering a handshake, which Kazetora took after a moment's pause.
"I will be right back. Get your vehicle ready," Kazetora said before he sped out of sight.
Jack and Ethan nodded, and they came outside and got into the car. A few minutes later, Kazetora appeared.
"I am trusting you guys. One wrong move, and I won't hesitate to kill you this time," Kazetora said as he got into the car.
"Trust me, that feeling is mutual," Jack said with a smile before pushing down on the pedal.
A few minutes later, they were near the hill where Jack had left Stephen. The clouds had cleared, and the horizon was now a vibrant shade of orange.
"This energy," Kazetora gasped. "It's so concentrated," as they neared the hill.
"You feel it too? Bet there are a lot of Revenants down there," Jack said as he began to drive uphill.
"Are we gonna fight them?" Kazetora said, taking his sword out. The ocean wave-patterned tsuba glowed vibrantly as he passed Kana energy into the blade.
"Let's not for now, but if we don't have a choice, then yes, we will," Jack said as they entered the encampment where Stephen stood ready with the pocket tent.
"Have they noticed us?" Jack asked as he got out of the car.
"Not yet, but I am ready for the worst-case scenario," Stephen informed.
"Okay, I will withdraw the barriers so you have room to flee, and we have room to engage," Jack said as he began withdrawing the Kana barriers he had set up around the hill.
"So you're telling me you made all those barriers by yourself? Just how much Dantian capacity do you have?" Kazetora asked, his eyes widened in fascination as he got out of the car.
"Yeah, I did," Jack said.
"Who is this guy?" Stephen asked.
"We are... uh, allies. Anyways, I will go check on them," Jack answered.
"I will come with," Kazetora said.
"Sure, suppress your energy," Jack said with a nod.
As they neared the back of the hill, the growling of the Revenants grew louder with every step, and when they approached a clearing from where they could look down, their eyes widened in shock.
There was a big horde of Revenants, all bound by the neck with thick iron chains, divided into several groups, each following a large Kana automaton into a train ahead.
"What are they doing?" Kazetora asked.
"They are, uh... transporting them?"
"I know that. I mean, what could they possibly be doing with that large amount of Revenants?"
"Beats me. In any case, while dealing with them, don't stab their Dantian with Kana energy, or you will be blasted apart," Jack advised.
"Yea yea, I know," Kazetora said slowly. "So, my brother just surrendered, huh?" he said, bringing up the topic again.
"He did, and I had no reason to spare him. Even though I felt bad, he bore hostility towards me and would've eliminated me anyway if I was weak," Jack replied coldly.
"I know. Guess you are quite strong. My brother is as strong as me when it comes to skill."
"Ooh. And when you use Ikanami?"
"He is about 75% as strong as me if I use my Ikanami."
"I see, he could've had a great career if it wasn't for his father."
"Yeah... anyways, can I see Kazekiri? It's been a while since I saw that blade," Kazetora said, changing the subject.
"Sure," Jack said, handing him Kazekiri. Kazetora observed the blade carefully, and Jack could see some difference in the twin blades.
"I finally found it a tsuba. It's a shame I couldn't hand it to him," Kazetora muttered as he fetched a tsuba from his item pouch.
It was a bluish-green piece, in the shape of a small cloud. As soon as Kazetora took it in his hands, it started glowing with a pulsing light.
"What do you mean found? Did it not have a tsuba?" Jack asked curiously.
"No, its tsuba was broken, and no one was able to make one since. I had to melt my tanto for it."
Kazetora touched the blade to his forehead and then began to untie the silk fastenings around the handle. The wood pieces were untied, and he slipped the tsuba on the blade and fastened the handle back.
"So who crafted it?" Jack asked as he saw one of the Revenants rip another's head off.
"I did," Kazetora answered.
"What? So you're a blacksmith?"
"Yes, of course. It's taught to us. After all, the blade will be your best companion if you take care of it yourself."
"True, it looks better now. Will you teach me how to make a sword too?"
"Do you have the God's metal?"
"Oh yup, a lot of it actually."
"Hmm, alright, it will be tough though."
"No problems, I will be in your care," Jack said with a grin.
"Good, can you hold the blades? I need to tighten my chest plate," Kazetora said, handing Jack the blades.
Jack took Kazekiri first, and as soon as his hands touched Namikiri, a sudden warmth and energy surged through his right hand and made its way to his left, in which he held Namikiri. The tsubas of the blades glowed vibrantly and began to suck in Jack's energy.
"What is happening?" Jack gasped. He tried to unhand the blade, but his hand wouldn't listen to him.
"The twin blades are registering a new pact..." Kazetora said, his eyes wide with intrigue and a bit of fear. "They only recognize a new master when their previous owner has been truly defeated by the new possessor."
"What do you mean truly?" Jack said, trying to be as calm as possible.
"The God's blade has been sought by many for centuries. Every one of those desperate, unworthy souls tried to get it through deception, murder, and other twisted ways, yet they never managed to draw upon their true strength," Kazetora spoke thoughtfully.
"And what is this true strength you speak of?"
"Each of the twin blades has the ability to amplify the user's Kana circulation efficiency by three times, and you can form a double-headed sword if you join their hilts. Pretty useful in crowd control."
"I see, sounds pretty useful," Jack said. "Wait, does that mean you accept you were defeated by me?"
"Not a chance. That was probably what brother felt. You see, the old master of the sword doesn't lose ownership of the blade, and thus two people who have tied in skills can hold ownership of the blade. My brother and I were like that, and thus we carried one of the twin blades each," Kazetora explained.
"Uhh, these blades aren't gonna shatter, right?" Jack said worriedly, looking at how intensely his Kana energy had engulfed the blade.
"The blades won't, but the tsuba might, if three times your energy capacity is able to break it... and I don't think that's pos—"
BOOM!
There was a blinding flash of light from Namikiri's tsuba, and it shattered into a million pieces along with a Kana explosion that threw both Jack and Kazetora flying several feet backward.
"Shit, sorry about that," Jack groaned as he got up and walked over to Kazetora to help him get back on his feet.
"Save that for later, I think we made too much commotion," Kazetora said, his eyes narrowing at the crowd of Revenants that were speeding toward them.