Phantom was wandering around the white and red tower in hopes of finding his teammates. The one and only good thing that came from the tower falling from the sky was the fact that it destroyed quite a part of the forest, making it easier for the demon to get around. Still, without his wings it won't be an easy task and now he regretted that he didn't teach any of them telepathy. Oh well, at the very least he could establish a link with them now. He placed one of his fingers to his temple and his left eye turned orange.

Samukai found himself barely hanging from the top of the tower. He quickly pulled himself up and was now standing on the poles from which the construction was made. The tower, despite lying on its back, was still pretty tall, making it a great observation spot, but as far as the samurai could tell it was only a bamboo forest in all of the directions. They were in Kohryu, that was clear. As he was about to come down, he felt a terrible headache. It was almost as if a donkey took up a pickaxe and was ramming it into his head.

Oi Samukai, do you hear me? It didn't take the warrior long to know who was calling him. The voice, despite being slightly altered, belonged to the demon.

I guess? Let me guess, telepathy? It surely would have come in handy much sooner, wouldn't you think?

Hey, I promise I will teach you that, just give me a while, 'kay?

Yea, sure. So where are you now?

I dunno, somewhere between the tower and the not destroyed part of the forest

I figured out that much by myself. I guess you haven't found Noktum yet? So stay where you are and soon I will join you

Demon wanted to continue his link with Samukai, but it was cut short. Phantom knew that he wasn't great with telepathy, but he thought that he could last as least a few minutes. Perhaps he really shouldn't ignore lord Beelzebub's training about non combat magic. Now the best he could do was to wait for the samurai and then go searching for Noktum and Fenfir. He only hoped that they were fine.

The magician in question was hanging from the hound's mouth, who got stuck in-between the poles, saving the shadow from falling down to the ground. Noktum casted a barricade directly below him and the wolf.

- Fenfir, once I say that I am ready you will drop me down. Oh and can you be a little gentler? I have to cast a few more of those but it is kinda hard to concentrate while you are biting so deep into my robes- hellhound loosened his jaw, allowing the magician to cast the remaining few barricades in peace, creating something akin to a staircase. After that he ordered the hound to drop him. Noktum then carefully went down to the lowest barricade and was now wondering how to free the wolf. An abbadon would probably be the best choice, considering that fire spells might not be enough to burn through those poles. One carefully aimed abbadon later and with a slightly hard landing, Fenfir found himself free.

- Now we only need to find the master. Do you sense his aura somewhere in the area?- Fenfir was sniffing the air and after a short while it seemed like he got something. As the magician was about to ask what it exactly was, he felt a headache as his eye turned orange.

Noktum, where are you? Is Fenfir with you?

Master? Y...Yes Fenfir is with me and we are at the bottom of that tower

Great, Samukai should soon find you. After he does so, look for a red beam in the sky

Noktum didn't need to ask what the beam was supposed to be, but he wasn't sure if casting an abbadon in the open was a great idea. Granted he did it too, but his was much shorter. But then again the tower falling from the sky probably got all of the attention anyway, so it couldn't get worse, right?

Not even a minute has passed and the magician heard a bunch of metallic thuds. He looked up and saw a black samurai armor hopping from one of the poles to another. He didn't stop until he found himself above the shadow.

- So how did you like your first time arriving in Kohryu?- warrior asked as he jumped down, landing on the ground with grace and dusted himself off.

- Save for the falling from the sky after being chased by a giant scorpion it wasn't all that bad

- Don't you worry, once we get to Seiryu it will all be worth it. I promise that's lovely in this time of year- Samukai couldn't continue his praising of his homeland as an abbadon after abbadon appeared in the sky- I guess that this is our snake- Noktum nodded his head. Both of them then hopped on the wolf and went into the direction of the beams. In less than a few minutes they saw their leader sitting on a great boulder, preparing another abbadon.

- Took you long enough. Well Samukai, since I don't have a slightest idea about where we are, I'll let you lead us on for the time being- demon said as he also climbed upon the hellhound. Sitting between Noktum and the warrior he took a glance at his wings. The bone structure was already complete, so with a few more hours it should return to normal. Magician handed the samurai the map of Kohryu Empire and Samukai ordered Fenfir to march on forward.

- I only hope that those temples are also here and we won't have to go all the way back to the Vatican- the demon said after a few minutes of a rather uneventful march.

- If the map from the maze is to be trusted, then there should be a few entrances here and there. Now if they are open or buried beneath is another story. But we will worry about that later. For now we should focus on finding any settlement

- So I guess it will be bad if we end up anywhere but Seiryu?- magician questioned.

- I mean, at least I know what dangers lie in Seiryu. And it's not like people here like demons anyway so keep that in mind and don't act before thinking- Samukai looked at Phantom.

- As long as they won't have any weird angels around, I promise to try and not burn them all- samurai guessed that this will be the best he will get from the demon, thus he didn't continue the conversation. The matter of angels shouldn't be a problem anyway, unless something has changed while he was dead. Looking at the sky the warrior estimated that they have five hours at best until the sun sets. And traversing Kohryu's forests at night was rather dangerous, with all of those lesser demons living pretty much anywhere. While they might have not been as powerful as those from Hell, they were much more cunning and just as, if not more, malicious as the hellish ones.

As they were traversing through the bamboo forest, Samukai spotted a hay wall in the distance. Its yellow color was more than pleasant to look at compared to the overwhelming greenery around them. But despite it being an ease to tired eyes it also could mean that a settlement was closer to them than samurai had originally thought. Of course it might have been a relic of the past, the only thing left from some village or town. There was only one way to find out. When they were closing in to the walls, Samukai heard a running water and in the distance the bamboo forest seemed to be ending, its place being taken by a deciduous one. Not only that it seemed as if the forest was going downhill.

After crossing the bridge the Chaos was now in the deciduous part of the forest. The river was running alongside the bridge only to turn left after a while and run off into the wild. Many colorful birds were flying away from the tree crowns as the wolf was bumping into every tree on their way. Luckily for him after a while of march the forest stopped being so dense and the hellhound could finally walk without hitting anything. As Chaos was looking in the distance, they saw mountains akin to stone pillars rising from the ground. Covered by moss they looked as if they were just another plant that had grown in there, eventually overshadowing the already mighty trees by its sheer size. Sights like that weren't a thing in Seiryu so that one was out, so if Samukai was a betting man, he would say that they either ended up in Suzaku or the very southern part of Kohryu. And neither of those options were really optimistic.

- Well, do you see any settlement?- demon asked as he was taking a glance at the soon setting sun. A good hour or two until it becomes dark.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

- No and I am afraid that we were dropped in the middle of pure wilderness. Possibly somewhere around there- samurai pointed at the green spot on the map, close to the border between Kohryu and Suzaku- Of course that's only a wild guess, but it seems to be the most possible option. The only way to tell is once we get to any village or town

- So it's good old wandering till we stumble upon something

- It seems like that

The night has finally fallen and Chaos was still on the move in the wilderness of Kohryu Empire which seemed to be not touched yet by human hands. Back in the Holy Kingdom of Vatican a certain angel was seemingly wandering aimlessly through the empty streets of Potok. Once he was before the wall protecting the town, he flew up and landed without making a sound. He stood there for a few minutes until he felt that weird vanishing aura.

- I guess it makes sense for the angels to be punctual- Iscariot turned to see the owner of that aura. A human skeleton with goat skull for a head, covered from head to toe with various runes and symbols. It was the first time that he had ever seen a demon like that. Just how could he help him kill Phantom?

- Right, you don't know me do you?- Iscariot only looked at him- My name is Lamb, Hell most refined umbramancer. And you are virtue Iscariot the well known demon killer, right?- this got the angel's attention. While he knew that his name spread around the world with time, most of the demons who heard about him all ended up dead.

- I must say that you are an interesting one. I haven't met a demon who knew about me, while the same wasn't true for me

- Let's just say that I know a lot about a lot of those who might be a threat to me. But how about we get straight to the business. I don't think your companions would react well to seeing you here with me so let us be quick

- So how exactly do you want to help me?- while the idea of killing Phantom was more than enough to get Iscariot interested, he couldn't help but feel that the demon was planning something that would help him and only him. He saw that happen too many times to fall for that.

- It is clear that I had spent more time with that snake than you, thus the knowledge I possess about him, his battle style, his spells is much greater than yours, wouldn't you agree?- that demon had a point. He seemed like someone who knew Phantom rather well. Which only brought virtue to another question.

- If you know him so well then why not kill him all by yourself. If you claim to possess such knowledge about that snake then I have quite a hard time imagining you having a trouble making a perfect opportunity to kill him. Unless you are lying about that- Lamb only smirked at that claim. He truly made the right call to ask Iscariot for help.

- You see, I am not exactly a great combatant myself. And that's where you come in- Iscariot wondered what the demon had in mind. Was he supposed to do the dirty job, albeit with more than generous reward, all by himself. If so then he didn't need the demon's help for that. Lamb noticing angel's confusion has already prepared his reasoning for his request- You see, most would call me a fox. I agree with them as the shadows are where I belong, where I am more comfortable while using my umbramancy. I can see traps and set my own, but I lack the strength to overcome them and those who set them. Now you- he pointed at Iscariot- you are more like a lion. Fierce, first to attack, with more than adequate strength for slaughter. Albeit you get easily caught in traps, don't you?

If Iscariot was being honest, he still didn't understand what the demon was getting at. A fox and a lion? Traps? Just what was he talking about? Perhaps he should just get rid of him here and now. If he is a fox then a lion should easily kill him right?

- What I mean by that is that you should be like a fox and a lion in a fight. Do you see where I'm getting at?- Iscariot laughed when he finally got what Lamb had in mind.

- You truly want us to join forces?

- I would call it more like a momentary truce. Once the Phantom is dead, we will go into our own directions, as if we never met in the first place

- It sounds good to me, but how can I tell that you won't backstab me?

- You can't, but don't you worry. I'm not dumb enough to try and attack you. Compared to most demons, I know my limits. So what do you think?- Iscariot had to think for a while. He would be an idiot to disregard such an offer, but on the other hand he was dealing with a demon. Oh well, he might never get a chance like that. He outstretched his hand toward Lamb.

- Fine. I'm in- Lamb shook his hand.

- It's truly a pleasure to deal with you- while it was hard to say, Iscariot was more than sure that Lamb was grinning at the moment.

- The same goes for you. But I must say that it is the first time I have ever agreed on something with a demon

- And surely won't be the last. Besides, it's not like you will be an angel for much longer, so grow accustomed to that- with that Lamb vanished in the deep shadows of the night as if he never was there to begin with.

Chaos in the meantime kept on marching forward. Bypassing the peculiar mountains, the hound entered a more open area going uphill, covered in tall grass that reached all the way to Fenfir's snout, making him occasionally sneeze. Due to the lack of trees Noktum tried to use stars to determine the way they were going, but he didn't recognize any of the constellations nor did he spot a north star. Samukai was thinking about making a temporary break so the hound could rest for a while, but then he noticed smoke coming from over the hill they were currently climbing. He might not have known what was the reason for the smoke, but it wouldn't hurt to see what it was. Of course if it would end up being a raid then they would get out of there as quickly as possible. But if some festival was going on then maybe they could ask for directions? Nevertheless the samurai ordered the wolf go into the direction from which the smoke rose.

From the top of the hill Samukai saw a small town resting just right below it. A great bunch of rectangular wooden and stone houses covered by a thatched roof all centered around the greatest fire pit he had ever seen, let alone the rocks, nearly boulders, that encircled the fire. Now that might have been a tiredness finally setting in, but the warrior was sure that he saw a figure inside the fire. As he looked at Phantom, he saw that something was bothering him. His eyes too were focused on the fire.

- So do you see or feel something?

- It's hard to say. I feel some aura, but it's weird. It's both weak and strong. Weak as in the radius it can be felt is small, but has a strong scent. I don't know what it can be?

- An artifact? A deity?

- Perhaps. We will just have to go down and see

- Right, let me just cast my arts

- But what about your mask?- Noktum questioned. Right, Samukai really didn't think that through. Perhaps throwing away the part that he had wasn't a great idea.

- If there is some kind of a festival going on, I can always say that I am some ghost or something like that. Believe me or not, but those things were attracted to things like that just as moths are to fire. But I beg, until the situation is horrible, sit in the shadows- after both mages agreed they one with the shadows and samurai continued his stroll down the hill. Once he entered the town he was rather pleasantly surprised. No guards upon the entrance, not even a single person. It seemed like everyone was gathered around the fire pit. Casually walking around the town he tried to attract as little attention to himself as possible. Finally he arrived at the center of the town and saw what was really going on.

Townsfolk were dancing around the fire, eating roasted lamb while drinking what samurai could guess to be wine or were simply sitting round the pit which emitted a cozy warmth talking with each other. Staying in the shadow of the buildings, samurai took a closer look at the fire. What he saw before wasn't just his imagination. Right in the middle of the pit was sitting a hulking figure, eating a roasted lamb, showing proudly his sharp fangs. His muscular body was covered by chunks of what seemed to be coal. On his chest was a crest resembling a flame. His face, while human, looked like it was made of porcelain. His hair was like an ever burning fire having a much deeper shade of red than the fire that covered him. He opened one of his eyes which was like an ember and took a good long look at the area. His gaze finally stopped as he noticed a black armor standing in the shadows.

Samukai crouched down. Phantom noticed that his hands were shaking a little. Samurai hand was on the Izanagi's hilt, albeit it was more than hesitant from drawing it. Why would we? Right before was sitting on other than the fire god. Zhurong.

Deities were interesting beings. No one really knew from where they came. He heard some sages proclaiming that they were no different from demons, of course little to no one seemed to actually believe in that. But putting that to the side, the gods were always alongside humanity, either helping them or tormenting. For a long time they were allowed to roam free. It wasn't until Vatican rose the state in which it was currently, that the gods retreated to their own realms, which Samukai now guessed to be those courts, like the ones from Greece or those from the North. From what he heard the only time people were allowed to pray to them in any form was on special occasions once in a year, a Vatican fail-safe in case they decided to come against it. The situation in Kohryu and in Arabia was much different. Here gods were allowed to do as they pleased. And they just had to meet one in a few hours upon their arrival.

- You there- Zhurong pointed at the samurai- You are here but I don't know you. Would you mind telling me what are you doing here?- the people also focused on the newcomer. It seemed like the presence of a god gave them no reason to feel any unknown guest.

- I promise I come in peace. I only want to ask for direction- he raised his hands to show that he meant to harm.

- Hmm- the fire god closed his eyes. He was thinking for a while. Then he opened his eyes again- Fine, I sense no malice for you. But what about the demon you brought with you?

Samukai took a deep sigh. Of course, if Phantom could feel something then that something could also feel him. And deities were really sensitive to auras. Damn it, just why was their luck so horrible? Just as the demon emerged from the shadows Samukai drew Izanagi, preparing for unavoidable combat.