Episode 36 Difference between the Two
Kunai unleashes a ferocious blast of energy from his sword. The blast travels the length of the cavern and explodes upon a monstrous stalagmite, causing it to collapse into smaller pieces of rock and dust.
Slumping over, Kunai breathes heavily, gasping for air. He lowers his sword, wiped out from the effort of executing the attack. Behind him, Lord Kimura places a hand on Kunai’s shoulder.
“That should be enough for today, Kunai,” Kimura says.
Kunai nods, still gasping breathlessly. He withdraws his sword, turning it back into its regular form. Replacing Myou around his wrist, Kunai plops down onto the ground.
“I feel like I’m almost there. My attack isn’t as strong as yours yet, though…”
“The power of the attack depends upon the complexity of your soul, and especially upon how many soul processes you have,” Lord Kimura explains. “Naturally, having thirteen separate processes, my attack will be more impactful. However, your attack is enough of a trump card to aid you in winning some battles here and there.”
“Not yet, not yet!” Kunai protests. “Even though I feel like I’ve almost mastered how to use the skill, I still feel like there’s a lot of room for improvement for my technique.”
“Yes, that will take some time,” Kimura replies quietly. He suddenly stretches out a hand to Kunai on the ground. “Come, Kunai, follow me.”
“Eh?” Kunai blinks. “Where are we going?” He takes Kimura’s hand and rises to his feet, patting dust off his clothes.
“You’ll see,” answers Kimura.
Xavier sits hunched against the wall, his arms wrapped around his legs. He looks up in the gloom of the ARES Headquarters as a tall figure stands over him.
“Geronimo?”
The hulking Geronimo kneels down in front of Xavier, looking him in the eyes. “Was that a real Anti-Paradox you brought back?”
Xavier nods. “Y-Yeah. It was all thanks to Kunai, though.”
“Tch,” Geronimo laughs, “and I always thought that kid was all talk too.”
“Why do you ask, Geronimo?” Xavier asks.
“This organization, ARES Project…it’s true that there are a lot of people in it like Ace who are out for themselves. But over time it has grown to include many people who don’t agree with his way of doing things. I think you and I, Xavier, we agree on the same things. Therefore, I want to help you get it back.”
“Really?” Xavier cries, perking up immediately. “You’ll stand up to Ace with me?!”
“Of course!” Geronimo cries. “I bet that Kunai would be pretty mad with us if he knew Ace had it, too! And maybe we can even convince Kai to help us out. Lord knows what that guy is up to though…”
Xavier nods. “Yeah. Let’s go get it back!”
Kunai gasps as Lord Kimura leads him up to the very edge of a lush green slope. A cool breeze blows by, rustling the tips of the fine blades of grass below them. Stretched out before them is a magnificent town. The sun shines radiantly from above, lighting up a bright blue sky, obscured only by drifts of white, puffy clouds.
“I didn’t realize the Underworld had such views,” Kunai says.
Lord Kimura takes a seat on the edge of the cliff, looking down on the town below. He motions for Kunai to do the same. Kunai sits down next to Kimura, soaking in the spectacular scene as well.
“Hey,” Kunai says suddenly, as the two of them sit side by side at the edge of the slope, “will everything that you’re teaching me really help us defeat the Fatalists?”
“Of course,” Lord Kimura answers. “What, do you still not trust me? The truth is, Kunai, you learn frighteningly quickly. However, I will divulge a secret with you.”
“Hm, a secret?” Kunai wonders.
“Yes, a secret.” Lord Kimura leans back against the grassy floor and stares off into the distance, the wind rustling the strands of hair hanging over his dark eyes. “In actuality, the Soul Combustion attack I have taught you is only the first part. You must have felt it as well. When you learned to manually synthesize your soul, there was a rush of power as well, an even greater power than you felt when you combust your soul.
“The fact is that that can also be converted into a second attack. That is to say, Soul Synthesis can also be transformed into an attack in addition to synthesizing your soul back together. In other words, the techniques Soul Combustion and Soul Synthesis are a two-part attack.”
“Two-part attack, huh?” Kunai growls under his breath. “Are you going to teach me how to convert the energy from Soul Synthesis into another attack then?”
“No,” Lord Kimura replies softly. Kunai turns to look at Kimura. “But that is only because the technique does not exist yet. In theory, it is possible. But it has not been done yet. I never learned how to convert Soul Synthesis into an attack. However, I believe if anyone can accomplish it, it is you, Kunai. But you will have to learn it alone…”
“I see…” Kunai mutters, his voice trailing off.
The two of them fall into silence. Finally, after some time, Lord Kimura breaks the lull. “I feel as though I should apologize for everything that I have done, Kunai. If I could take back everything the Myougun has done, I genuinely would.”
“I will never forgive you for all the horrible things you did,” Kunai answers stiffly. Lord Kimura looks at Kunai with surprise, but Kunai continues. “But…those things are now in the past. If you really are sorry, then what you are teaching me to help me defeat the Fatalists is enough.”
“I see, Kunai,” Lord Kimura laughs. “You truly have grown. I once thought I could mold you into follow the same path as I, but…it seems as though you’ve followed your own path. However, I am glad you did not follow the same path I did in the past.”
“Your past?”
“Yes,” the man next to Kunai answers solemnly. “Long ago, I sought power in order to protect someone precious to me, just like you. I joined the Fatalists. Back then, the Fatalists did not exist. I was one of the earlier prototypes in their experiments. I gained much power from those experiments, but unfortunately, partly through the consequences of my own actions, that person that was so precious to me was killed.
“The incident left me filled with hatred. By sheer accident I became lost in the mountains of El Nath, and was buried in the snow, preserved for over two hundred years until I was awakened once again. Wanting revenge upon the world that had taken away everything from me, I formed the Myougun. At that time, the Fatalists approached me with their plans and recruited me to use the Myougun to help achieve their ends and recover the lost Phonemes.
“I agreed, but I did not tell them that secretly I sought to obtain the Third Phoneme for myself, so that I could learn the secrets of reviving the dead in order to bring back to life that person. I was desperate and afraid, and I clung to the past, unable to let it go. Such a life indeed is a life of hell.
“When I first saw you, Kunai, I saw much of my younger self in you. I wanted you to follow the same path I did, I wanted you to follow in my footsteps and become my apprentice. However, I realize now that I am indeed grateful that you took a different path than the one I took. The Myougun Empire was a result of my inability to move on from the past. I could not accept it. The fact that you have already shows that you have indeed taken a path far different than the one I took.”
“I see,” Kunai says, staring off into the distance. “I’m…sorry that you lost that person. I still cannot forgive you for all the horrible sins you’ve committed though. But…if you’re both dead, then isn’t it possible for you two to meet each other again in this Underworld? Come to think of it, there are some people I’d like to see again as well…Shuriken, Tide…”
Lord Kimura bows his head. “I accept that. I am not looking for your forgiveness, but I merely wanted you to understand. As for seeing the dead again…the Underworld is a large place. All the souls of the dead come here to rest. Considering that, it would be incredibly lucky to see specific people again. Azuma himself specifically sought me out. I do not know what was the ultimate fate of your friends, and neither do I know what happened to the person that I loved. At any rate, you are strong, Kunai. I truly believe you are our only hope for defeating the Fatalists.”
Kunai remains silent for some time. Finally, he turns back to Kimura. “You were once a member of the Fatalists, weren’t you? Please tell me everything you know about them. Anything that will help us better understand what we’re up against—their abilities, their weaknesses, their reasons for fighting—anything!”
“I am sorry, Kunai,” Lord Kimura sighs. “I suspect they never truly trusted me. I do not know anymore than what you yourself already know about them.”
“I see…” Kunai trails off, disappointed written in his voice.
A shadow steps behind the two of them, Kunai and Kimura, as they speak. Kunai turns and spots Azuma standing over them, the sun gleaming like a halo in the sky just above his head.
“A-Azuma!” Kunai stutters.
“If you are willing to accept the consequences, there is a way in which you may severely weaken the Fatalists’ power…” Azuma says, his voice low and his eyes narrowed. “However, I will make it clear that I am merely imparting information upon you; the ultimate choice of what to do with that knowledge is yours. But I will give you knowledge that may defeat the Fatalists. Although you may never forgive yourself if you were to make use of it…”
Kunai glares at Azuma, suspense and resolve on his face. “What…is it?!” he presses.
“The Fatalists current possess the Maple Hero’s Sword, otherwise known as the Sword of Nexon,” Azuma begins. “It is clearly the most powerful weapon in the world. With it in their possession, the Fatalists are essentially impossible to defeat. But what if I were to tell you that there was a way to defeat the Maple Hero’s Sword? Would you make use of it, no matter the consequences?”
“Tell me, Azuma,” Kunai insists, his voice now firm. “What are you talking about?”
“The Sheath of the Maple Hero’s Sword…” Azuma simply says, his eyes aglow with a frightening light.
“Eh?!” Mira breathes, her hands clenched tightly in her lap. She stares at Headmaster Ryuu, before turning to check her sister’s reaction.
“You want us to make these ‘soul capsules?’” Ophelia says, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
“Yes,” Ryuu retorts. “I want you two to stay back in this Academy and take charge of the mass production of soul capsules. The Academy has all the facilities and resources you will need to make the soul capsules. When the mass production is complete, you will transport them to the Fatalists’ dimension, where we’ll be able to employ them against the Fatalists. It’ll be a surprise trump card of sorts, for our side.”
“Transport them to the Fatalists’ dimension?” Mira repeats, perking up suddenly. “You mean we’ll eventually be able to go to the frontlines?”
“Somewhat,” Ryuu replies. “Indeed this is an opportunity for you to visit the frontlines. However, I remain insistent that you do not fight on the frontlines. You two are still too young and too inexperienced for that. Once you are done delivering the goods, you will return to the Maple World.”
“But Headmaster Ryuu—” begins Ophelia.
“No ‘buts,’” Ryuu says. “Either take it or leave it. This is my task for you two. It already shows that I have a lot of trust in you to leave such an important mission for you to handle.”
“I suppose…” Mira murmurs, slightly crestfallen.
“No matter what form it takes,” Ryuu says encouragingly, “your eagerness to help will not go unnoticed. I am already incredibly proud of you two.”
“Y-You mean it?” Ophelia perks up.
Ryuu nods. “Yes. Of course. Even if you do not fight, your role in this war is much appreciated. No matter what, any contribution against the evil Fatalists is enough.”
—END THIRTY-SIX—
Wow, no other blogs on VuTales between this chapter and my last? Come on guys, you can do better than that. At any rate, enjoy this early chapter, you three people you.