“So let me get this right. Akuma -apparently my younger brother- is this super evil guy who’s prophesized to one day destroy this world and every human in it?”


    “Yes.”


    “And after meditating with you, he was able to destroy his yang barrier, thus unlocking the first stage of enlightenment, but by doing that he destroyed the only thing keeping his soul together. And now, only those who’ve also unlocked the first stage of enlightenment can remember him?”


    “Yes exactly. I’m failing to see what’s so hard to understand here.”


    “…Riiiiggghht… Question. How is Rin able to remember him if I can’t?”


    “It’s like I told you. Those who’ve broke their Yang barrier and checked out their story from the library can remember him.”


    “And Rin. Do you remember doing any of the goofy shit that just left her lips?”


    “Umm… N-No?”


    Tenshi stared at her as if he were looking at some con fortune teller. The ones who tell you you’ll die at the age of 25 just because your palm has an extra line going left.


    “L-Look. I don’t know why you can’t remember, but you healing me is proof that you’ve been to the library. You need a story to have a Soul Type. Meaning only those with a story can use the Empower technique.”


    “And how sure of that are you?”


    “I’d wage my life on it. That’s a written law of Yggdrasil. Even if there was an exception to that rule, there’s no mention of it anywhere in the world. They’d have to be God or something.”


    “Hmm… I don’t think you’re lying. Your description of Akuma is correct. Well except for that white spot of hair on his head. But with how you described his personality, there’s no doubt in my mind it was him. Not to mention that his own brother forgot him-”


    “!”


    They were alerted by a faint *Bzzz sound coming from the distance. Stepping out the small temporary hideout, they saw a large beetle, the size of a building, charging at them.


    “What the hell is that?!” Tenshi asked, more “side-eyed” worried than “shock” worried.


    “It’s a Nephilim. The forsaken domain is riddled with them. Though it’s on the smaller side.”


    “And you just let them stay there?!” Rin questioned in a panic.


    “Because of the barrier around Tang, and the ocean of water on the other side of Ceprun, they normally can’t leave that domain. But since this one has, I can only assume it’s been influenced by something… Don’t worry…” She said, raising her right hand to emulate a chop. “…I can easily handle this thing.”


    “No, wait!” Rin suddenly shouted out.


    “W-What is it?” Came the startled reply.


    “Could you let Tenshi destroy it?”


    “Wha-! Meee?!”


    “…Why?”


    “There’s something he does that I need your opinion on.”


    “Can’t this wait after I deal with the demon?”


    “It can’t. It’s hard to explain since I don’t know what it is. It’d be easier for him to show you.


    “Very well then. But it’s already gotten so close. You’ll need to blow the entire thing away with a wide scale attack.”


    “Sounds right up my alley.” He assured while walking a couple feet in front of the hideout.


    (The tricky thing about Nephilims is their super durable bodies that make it hard to deal real damage. And even if you do somehow damage them, they can regenerate over time. That’s why it’s best to destroy them with a single blow… But with the meager amount of starlites he has, I doubt he could even scratch one… Just what is he planning.)


    Like an old rusty clog, he slowly wound up his right fist. He planted his right foot firmly, digging it into the earth. The energy from the starlites within him began to accumulate, becoming visible around his fist.


    (This guy cannot be serious right now… T-That… That’s just a regular hoshi punch!)


    *BZZZZZ!! He was now a hair’s breadth away from becoming a demon’s lunch.


    (S-Should I save him? But he looks so confident. But what if that confidence is just a lie? Then should I save him?)


    Before she could reach a decision…


    *PSHEWWW!! *BOOOM!!


    ...he fired.


    It was like watching a wizard harness the power of a natural disaster. He’d created a tempest of lava and stopped the demon right in its tracks.


    The force of the blow was so powerful that it sent the demon flying back to where it came -carving out the earth as it flipped around.


    But something about it wasn’t quite right.


    Normally, when the force is that powerful. The ground beneath you would crumble, the structures around you would fall apart, and whatever was hit directly by such a blow would suffer damage visually gruesome. Yet somehow, there was no collateral. I mean sure, the ground below him broke apart, but that was more from his dramatic stance than the actual impact itself.


    “Yep. Just like I thought. It’s still alive.” He went as he hissed his teeth.


    “What? There’s no way it couldn’t have survived that.”


    “Take a look.” He gestured, directing Sanzang’s attention to the demon’s twitching, overturned form. It was clear it wasn’t dead, but it was for damn sure close.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    “Wow. It really did survive that… I’ll go finish it off. If I don’t it’ll regenerate.”


    “No need.”


    “Hm?”


    “Whenever I punch something in the way I just did, it can’t seem to regenerate.”


    “?”


    (Could it really be…?)


    “Hm? You know something?”


    “I think… what your using is Kata.”


    “Ka-what now?”


    “Your using Kata! It’s a martial art created by the Spirits!”


    “The spirits huh… Never heard of them.”


    “Of course you haven’t. The spirit realm has been sealed away from the rest of reality for centuries now. A long time ago, I journeyed all around the spirit realm. It was there that I learned about Kata.”


    “Umm. How did you go there if it’s been sealed off for centuries… Wait, how old are you?”


    “Rude! I went there using a special way. But that’s not important right now. How can you use kata? Even the most skilled spirits can’t use it.”


    “They made the thing, and they can’t even use it?”


    “Listen here. The legend goes like such…”


    “Listen here, my ass. I’m not listening to any of your backstories.”


    “Ugh. Whatever. But like I said, only a handful of spirits can use Kata. Even I was told I had no talent for it. And I’m a prodigy!”


    “…I hate to break it to you. But people who call themselves prodigies are normally frauds.”


    “Who taught you how to use it?! And why does a weakling like you know how to use it?!”


    “Please calm down.”


    “No. I won’t! Tell me now!”


    “*Sigh. Look. In my perspective I’m just doing the thing I saw Rin do. Gather up your starlites and aim it at your opponent… But I guess. It must have something to do with my father.”


    “Your father? Iphicles, right?”


    “Yeah. Back when I was a kid, he taught me how to strike at someone and damage them even if they were tougher than me. And because I spent most of my time fighting him, I ended up mastering the technique… But he never said anything about kata or souls or anything like that. He just said it’s a trick he learned from watching some else… As for your second question, I can’t really answer that.”


    “Oh, I can.”


    “………………”


    “What was your name again?”


    “It’s Rin! How did you already forget?!”


    “S-Sorry about that.”


    (Totally forgot this girl was even here.)


    “*Ehem. As I was saying. Tenshi’s soul is still sealed up and for some reason I can’t break them.”


    “Seals on his soul you say… Let me have a look.”


    “Go ahead, but I doubt you could do anything. Even I couldn’t budge them. And I’m a prodigy.”


    Something tells me Sanzang and Rin were sisters in another life. Twins even.


    After going inside and taking a seat, she placed her right palm on Tenshi’s back and focused on reaching the deepest part of his gut. It was like swimming through a maze of vines. Suddenly, she was forced out by flashes of white sparks.


    “See. Told ya so.”


    “Hmm… I guess I’ll have to get a little rough.”


    “Eh-?”


    “Tamazen Empower: Copy!”


    (Give me strength Buddha.)


    Like the time with Akuma, she summoned a golden figure behind her -identical in appearance.


    Simultaneously they rested their palms on Tenshi’s back, as she yelled, “FREEDOM!!”


    Tenshi growled out in pain as a large spiral of power surrounded the two. Slowly, a large constellation left his body and was now hovered over them.


    (So, it’s a magic circle, ay…? Little Dipper. The shape for lowering output… Like I thought. This is Trojan work.)


    *Crkk *Crkk


    (…Of course, that’s no problem for Buddha.)


    *BREAKK!


    The boy was on the verge of passing out, and Rin was dumbfounded at what transpired before her eyes.


    Sanzang’s display of power must’ve left her speechless… She was just jealous that someone else was able to do something she couldn’t.


    “Is it… over yet.” Tenshi mustered what little energy he had to ask.


    “I apologize for calling you a weakling. There was a magic circle placed on your soul. It prevented you from using your full power.”


    “A magic… circle? What is that?”


    “I assume you already know of Constellation Arts, yes?”


    “Yeah. I remember Rin telling me about that. She said something about creating shapes with power.”


    “…”


    Rin was still speechless.


    “Yep. One shape is constellation. Each shape has their own unique effect and advantage. But it is possible to combine multiple shapes and produce a whole new effect. We call those combined shapes, Magic Circles.”


    “That sounds crazy and all that, but I don’t remember making one of those. And I don’t think my father did either.”


    “From what I could make out, that circle used the four basic shapes to enhance the Little Dipper. But only the Trojan Family knows how to draw the Little Dipper.”


    (It’s like everything is connected to that family somehow… I’m starting to get an eerie feeling about all this.)


    “HEY!” Rin finally gathered the confidence to shout out. With her finger shaking while pointed at Tenshi, she scampered, “H-How d-did you do that?”


    “Hm? Oh that… I know someone who can free anything just by touching it. I merely copied his powers.”


    “You can copy powers?! That’s so badass!”


    “Fu-fu. Like that, don’t ya? I’ve got way more tricks up my sleeve too.”


    It’s like everyone here is full of themselves.


    “A-And you said Tamazen, correct? But I didn’t see a weapon appear anywhere.”


    “A Tamazen doesn’t appear, Silly. Unlike a Tamashi, they exist in the world without the need for a medium…” While displaying her kimono, she continued, “…See? This is my Tamazen.”


    “…………….”


    “That thing is really a Tamazen?”


    “Rude! They aren’t just a thing. The Jade Emperor has been a part of the Tang Family for generations!”


    “Jade Emperor…?”


    “What? Are you impressed by its beauty?”


    “No, that’s just a dumb name.”


    “Eh-?”


    “I mean the thing isn’t even Jade. You’re literally an Oreo.”


    She felt a vein popping on the right side of her forehead. Rin was really testing her nerves today. Actually, with how Akuma treated her, I guess the entire group was. Does no one care that she’s royalty? “Not sure what an Oreo is…” She replied, trying to hide her irritated smile. “…But the Jade comes from the color that it glows when I use my Empower. Of course, I doubt you were able to see it since I was copying Buddha’s golden light.”


    “Whatever you say, lady.”


    “Alright, I’ve been trying my hardest not to ask, but what the hell is that dangling from the roof?” Sanzang questioned while pointing straight up.


    “It’s a space crystal. It connects this room to any door opened by my special keys.”


    She says “my” special keys, but Finral is the one who made them.


    “Special keys? Do you mind if I see it?”


    “Sure.” From her cleavage area she grabbed a pocket-sized key. Watching her do that, it finally hit Sanzang that this girl was wearing a maid outfit.


    (A maid outfit…? I-I’ll just brush it off as her being some kind of cosplayer.)


    “Just to make sure, Tenshi. You still have your key right?”


    “Yeah, you told me not to lose it. Why?”


    “Nothing really. I just hope Akuma didn’t drop it somewhere-”


    Amid her yapping, Sanzang noticed something about the key. “That key!” she exclaimed, her voice cutting through her dialogue.


    “Hm? What is it?”


    “Look at the shape drawn on the bow.”


    “You mean this planet thingy?”


    “Yes, that’s one of the constellations I was telling you about. It’s a shape I’ve never seen before. Who made this?”


    “Hmph! Why it was me of cou-”


    “It was probably her grandpa, Finral.” Tenshi interjected, a teasing glint in his eye.


    “W-WHY DID YOU SAY THAT!” she pouted, playfully nudging his shoulder in a flurry of gentle taps.


    (Geez. Get a room or something.)


    “*Sigh. You ruined it…” she lamented, rising from her seat. “…I’m going out to take a breath of fresh air.” She took about four steps to reach the door before suddenly stopping.


    “What happened? Why’d you stop?” Tenshi intrigued.


    Instead of responding, she took a cautious step back, and that’s when a faint creaking sound echoed from the door.


    At first, the two, Sanzang and Tenshi, thought she had slightly opened the door and now the wind was seeping through, playing some kind of prank. But with one good look in her eyes, they realized just how wrong they were. It was a look that foreboded their demise. Eyes like those can’t just be fabricated on the spot.


    *Creek!


    The atmosphere shifted, and even they could feel it too. A cold, clammy hand began to encircle another finger, tightening its grip as the door creaked open even wider. That hand belonged to death itself, drawing them closer to the chilling embrace of himself.