In the Golden Palace
The rest of Team One finally caught up
with Kenshiro and Kaji, crouching low beside them in the wide, candlelit hall
of the Golden Palace.
Rei leaned in, confused, and
whispered, "Why did we stop here?"
Kenshiro placed a finger to his lips,
then pointed at the small crack in the golden door just ahead.
Rei hesitated, then bent slightly,
peeking through the thin opening. Her eyes widened immediately, and she almost
gasped aloud before covering her mouth with both hands to keep silent.
Through that narrow gap, she could see
Jinko himself seated calmly behind his massive desk. Four other figures stood
in the room with him—each one radiating menace and power. The Four Generals.
Rei's pulse quickened. She backed away
from the door, trembling. "Sensei… what do we do?" she whispered to the far
side where Kaji was crouched.
Kaji's eyes stayed fixed forward, a
faint grin on his face. "Put your head to the wall. Just listen."
Reluctantly, they obeyed. Every member
of the team leaned against the smooth surface, ears pressed close to catch the
muffled conversation inside.
"You really put on a show out there,
huh?" Hiro's voice carried a hint of mocking amusement.
"Well," Jinko answered evenly, "I had
to. They needed to see what real power looks like."
Saye let out a sharp laugh. "Hmph. I
kind of had fun fighting those spies—even though they were weak."
"I didn't have fun at all." Que's tone
was cold, irritated, fingers twisting strands of his own hair absentmindedly.
"I had to kill one of them."
Saye turned sharply toward him. "Then
why are you even one of the Four Generals if you don't like killing? Makes no
sense."
Que frowned, puzzled by his own
feelings. "…I don't know."
"See? That's what I mean!" Saye
snapped, scowling.
"Stop making my precious little sister
so angry, Que," Garreth's booming voice cut in.
"Ew, disgusting." Que's face
contorted, visibly revolted.
"Aw, don't be mad." Saye's tone
instantly shifted to sweet affection as she threw her arms around Garreth. "My
big brother loves me with all his heart."
"Ah, sister…" Garreth returned the
embrace, eyes closed, smiling with unsettling bliss. "Your hugs feel like
heaven."
"See? He loves me," Saye said with a
wink toward Que.
"You two are disgusting." Que looked
away, clearly nauseated.
"Well, it's weird, sure," Hiro
muttered, smirking. "But who cares? At least they can fight."
"Doesn't matter. Just looking at them
makes me want to puke." Que shivered, glaring.
"Then stop looking at them!" Hiro shot
back.
Rei, listening on the other side of
the wall, blinked in disbelief. What the hell kind of conversation is this?
"You're definitely the weird one here,
Que," Hiro teased.
But before it spiraled further,
Jinko's voice cut sharply through the bickering. "Enough. Stop all this
foolishness."
Instantly, the Four Generals
straightened, serious once more.
"I had a talk with the boss," Jinko
said, his tone turning grave.
Boss? Kaji's eyes narrowed from the
other side of the wall. I thought Jinko was the one in charge. There's someone
higher? Someone pulling the strings?
"What did he say?" Hiro asked.
"Is it serious?" Que pressed.
Jinko leaned forward in his chair.
"Vel Draven has died. He failed his mission to apprehend Misa Kurata."
The name struck Team One like thunder.
Vel Draven… Goro clenched his fists. He
knows him?
Misa… Rei's breath hitched.
We need to know who this boss really
is, Shun thought.
Just what is his plan? Kenshiro
narrowed his eyes. Why target Misa?
Why target our village at all? Kaji
thought darkly. What grudge does this "boss" hold?
"Well," Saye said bluntly, "that
bastard finally died. Good. He was annoying."
"Agreed," Que muttered, relieved.
Jinko rested his chin on his hand.
"We'll get further updates from the boss later."
Hiro chuckled, then pointed casually
toward the crack of the golden door. "Perfect. But when are we going to handle
our little spies hiding back there?"
Every member of Team One froze.
Damn it. They found us, Kaji realized
instantly.
"Kenshiro," Kaji whispered urgently.
"Open a black hole. Get everyone back to Mara."
"What about you?" Kenshiro asked,
worried.
"I'll stay," Kaji said, a fearless
grin spreading across his face. "I'll have some fun."
Inside, Saye smirked. "Let's deal with
them before they run."
"Then let's go," Jinko said, rising
from his chair, his own smile cold.
"Go!" Kaji roared.
Team One scattered as Kenshiro
summoned a swirling black hole. The generals and Jinko instantly teleported
toward their location, only to find the unconscious bodies of two guards lying
nearby.
"They knocked them out," Jinko noted,
surprised.
"Why be surprised? They're just
pawns." Hiro smirked.
Jinko raised one hand, palm open. His
spiritual energy pulsed violently. "Check everywhere in this palace. Be
cautious. I sense strong Spiritual Force." He closed his hand and the generals
vanished in different directions.
Meanwhile, Kenshiro shouted, "Hurry!
Get in!"
The black hole swirled violently as
the team leaped inside one by one. Just before it closed, Kenshiro's eyes
locked with Hiro's for a brief moment. Hiro smiled faintly, vanishing as he
lunged toward the portal—but too late.
"Huh. A black hole?" Hiro whispered to
himself. "Just who the hell are we dealing with?"
Elsewhere in the palace, Kaji sprinted
down a corridor. He knocked out a guard in a single blow and stripped him of
his armor.
"Sorry, buddy. Mind if I borrow your
gear for a bit?" Kaji smirked, slipping into the golden armor and gripping the
guard's spear.
"Alright," he murmured. "Time to move
through this palace in a flash."
At the same time, Jinko transformed
into particles of light, his body scattering and reforming as he zoomed through
corridors, past guards and even his generals. He scanned the palace like a
living sunbeam until suddenly—he stopped.
Ahead of him stood a golden-armored
guard, spear in hand. Something about him felt off.
Wait… I just felt a massive wave of
Spiritual Force, Jinko thought. It was stronger than mine for a moment.
He approached slowly.
"Is something wrong, my king?" Kaji
asked smoothly, disguising his voice.
"Nothing. Just… stay alert. If you see
anyone suspicious, deal with them." Jinko ordered.
"Yes, my king," Kaji said with a bow.
Jinko turned, pretending to walk away.
Kaji exhaled quietly. Whoosh. That was
close. I thought he—
Suddenly, Jinko reformed into light
particles and spun into a vicious kick aimed at Kaji's head.
Kaji barely raised the spear in time,
blocking the strike with a resounding clang.
"Damn it!" Kaji spat. "What gave me
away?"
"Your Spiritual Force, idiot!" Jinko
cursed, eyes blazing.
"But I suppressed it…" Kaji muttered. Was
it still to strong ?
At Mara's ruined home, a black hole
burst open, spilling Team One into the rubble.
"What the hell is that?" Mara gasped.
The swirling void snapped shut behind
them.
"Oh, that?" Rei pointed at Kenshiro.
"That's his ability—Black Hole."
"Where's your sensei?" Mara demanded.
"He's still in there," Goro admitted,
pointing toward the Golden Palace.
Back inside, the battle raged.
Jinko's fist swung, but Kaji parried
with his spear and countered with a sharp strike that cut across Jinko's cheek,
drawing blood.
Jinko touched the wound, then snarled.
"I don't know who you are—but I'm going to kill you! Divine Sword!"
A gleaming blade of light materialized
in his hand. He vanished and reappeared behind Kaji, swinging furiously. Kaji
met each strike with his spear, sparks flying in bursts of gold and white.
"Come on! That's all you've got,
King?" Jinko roared. "Divine Slashes!"
From a distance, each swing of Jinko's
sword released countless arcs of light that ripped through the air at
near-light speed. Kaji teleported just in time, vanishing and reappearing to
avoid the barrage.
"Huh? Where did he go?" Jinko
muttered—just before Kaji reappeared behind him, kicking him with enough force
to launch him into a wall. Jinko smashed through, smoke and rubble filling the
chamber.
Struggling up, Jinko grinned
manically. "You're making a fool of me… fine. I'll show you who the real fool
is. Divine Orb!"
A sphere of light condensed in his
palm, glowing brighter, hotter, until it fired outward as a massive beam. The
energy tore through the palace walls, ripping straight through the outer walls
of the kingdom itself.
Outside, Team One witnessed the
blinding beam in the bright sky.
"Was that… Jinko's ability?" Shun
whispered.
"Yep," Kenshiro confirmed grimly.
Back inside, Jinko dusted off his
robes, laughing quietly. "I bet he didn't see that one coming…"
Then, faintly—flush.
Jinko froze. "What… was that? Was that
a toilet?"
Suddenly, a blade pierced through the
bathroom door, followed by the entire door being ripped from its hinges.
Kaji stood there in golden armor,
spear in hand, smirking.
"Yo. Don't go in there for a while—it
stinks. You got any air freshener?" He casually tossed the door aside. "And
hey—stop wrecking your palace. It's beautiful."
Jinko's eye twitched.
To Be Continued…