On the other side of the Gutu Empire about a year's travel away from the city that Chiwenga was in, Saru was standing on top of a mountain. He wore a darkened expression as he gazed into the horizon. He knew that Maka was powerful, but for her to face three beasts like that alone with Taku who was insignificant, made him feel as if he had failed as a master somewhat.
He was a smart man so he already knew what was going on. Apart from being just another outstanding part of the younger generation, Maka was crucial to Saru's future plans. As her master he had placed certain seals in which he would be able to sense Maka's location, these seals also had another more important function, which he was planning to use soon. Yet at the moment her location was extremely vague and there was no way for him to pinpoint her direct location.
The only thing he could sense was that Maka was alive and the only thing he could do was wait until she reached a certain point in which he would be able to sense her precise location. Reality had hit him because he realized that no matter how powerful one was there were certain things in this world that even he would feel helpless about just like the current situation. For the first time ever he had no idea what to do. He began thinking of the people who he could possibly have a grudge with who would opt to get to him in this way.
Ultimately he figured that the invaders wanted to draw him in and then kill him, but using such a foolish tactic did not entirely work on him. Even though he was worried, he knew that his disciple had one or two tricks up her sleeve so he wasn't entirely worried about her. He was confident that she could undertake any threat that was thrown against her. The moment he could pinpoint her location his enemy's plan would be foiled, it would only be a matter of time.
What Saru was shocked about was the fact that Taku was there at that place already. He had no idea what he was doing there, if he had known that it was a beast horde then with his level he should have known that it was a burden more than anything.
Saru could only helplessly sigh and wait. It was at this moment that he saw a bird coming towards him. It was a small bird that looked eerily similar to a sparrow. The bird landed on his shoulder and as if telling him a secret, it placed its beak on his ear and actually spoke.
As the bird spoke, Saru's expression turned grave, with every word, Sarus expression turned uglier and uglier and after some time as the bird continued to speak, the bird seemed to just disappear from its spot.
…
Maka and Taku at this moment were still walking, they couldn't see an end to this world, and they had been walking for another half month so it had been slightly over a month and a half of them just walking. Taku at his point had mostly healed and he was at least able to do more aggressive training. They walked and talked and walked, though sometimes they even walked in silence for the whole day. As much as Taku didn't want these days to come to an end he knew that ultimately they might, but if they didn't he truly would have no problems with it.
At the end of the second month when they were getting ready to give up, they noticed that the river was getting narrow. Sensing a way out the two of them began running. They ran and ran and ran for about half a day and when they finally did reach the end they were shocked; for at the end of the river, there was a tall black wall, that looked like it was cascading into the heavens and had no end in sight.
Seeing this, Maka's expression turned grey. Taku noticed Maka's expression and before he could even ask Maka spoke, "I think I know where we are…"
"Oh?" Taku exclaimed.
"…This is a pocket world, you see when a cultivator reaches a certain level they can create these pocket worlds. It can be a place to come train or it can be a place to come and rest. Or it can be their burial place, a pocket world can be an illusion whilst not an illusion at the same time, it's pretty vexing. The pocket world itself is not dangerous but the passage to the pocket world is what's dangerous," Maka continued.
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Taku was shocked; how the hell had they ended up in a pocket world? Judging from what Maka had mentioned, this was something akin to a different dimension. The very idea that humans could create their own dimensions was ridiculous to him.
Taku then looked at Maka and asked, "What dangers are past this wall?"
Maka inhaled and said, "Possibly there could be beasts because every path to a pocket world has to have guardians and I don't know whether or not this Senior thought to put guardians beasts there, but I think the fact that we managed to pass through this path in the first place shows that at least it's not that dangerous."
Taku exhaled and said, "Well considering we were unconscious at the time, how we even managed to find the path to this pocket world is a mystery, to begin with."
Maka nodded, and then just said, "I think we should go now."
Taku nodded and simultaneously the two of the stepped into the black wall and disappeared. As they disappeared the air above the river began to distort and a figure clad in blue robs appeared there with a smile on his face and said, "That kid's body seems very nice, if I can possess it then I will be able to get out and get my revenge."
He had not been able to possess them whilst he was in this pocket world because there were certain restrictions on him, but then once they had entered that path then he would be able to fight and destroy them and take over Taku's body once and for all. He had been trapped in this world for as long as he could remember, and every single beast that was in the path to the pocket world was killed by him, but when he reached the end he realized that he was just a spirit and he didn't have any actual body. And to be able to pass through to the real world he would need an actual body. Not only that but a body that was strong enough to withstand his power.
It was him who had dragged the duo into the dimension as their battle with the beasts had been close to one of the pocket world's many entrances.
Even though Taku barely made the quota, it was the only choice he had, he knew that he would have no success with Maka because her cultivation was too high. With that, he smiled viciously and then proceeded to enter the black wall.
Maka and Taku did not know what was coming for them. If Maka had seen the spirit behind them, then she probably would've lost all hope. Even though Maka was considered powerful by many, she was still slightly lacking compared to the spirit body.
The spirit body was called Musen. He was once a powerful figure on the continent for hundreds of years. He was known to be vicious and decisive. He barely had any peers close to him, the only purpose that humans had in his eyes was to be used if they were weak and those who were above him were just stepping stones.
He viewed no one as his equal, as he felt that at the end of the day he would just surpass those he met. He was a great threat to the Gutu Empire for what felt like an eternity. He had gone through countless cities, looting everything he found valuable. He killed any witnesses and always left his name at the scene of the crime as if he was taunting the officials.
He was the subject to a lot of manhunts and bounties, but ultimately no one was able to catch him. After several years of being solo, he decided to form a bandit group in order to get more capital. For years they terrorized the Empire, even daring to steal from the Emperor himself.
No one dared to laugh at the Royal Family, Not out of fear but everyone just understood how powerful and merciless this Musen was. What surprised people was that those who witnessed the theft in the Palace kept their lives. It was something that had never happened before.
When all this happened the current Emperor of the Gutu empire was just a child. He was relieved that when he succeeded his father, Musen was already long gone. No one had heard about him ever since the robbery of the Emperor's palace.
Most people were actually very perplexed when it came to the disappearance of Musen. He had caused havoc for hundreds of years and then out of the blue he just stopped. His lair was found later on, but to everyone's surprise, every valuable thing he looted was still there.
The Emperor greedily took all of it and claimed that it was going into the Empire's treasury, as the Empire was in great need of resources because of the incoming invaders. It had now been 15 years since Musen disappeared, no one would believe that the man who gave numerous Kings a headache was now left in suck a pitiful state.
If the two of them knew that Musen was after Taku's body, then they would be forced to run in the same way they did when the 3 beasts were chasing them. When the two entered the black wall they had no idea what to expect on the other side. Apart from expectation, there was also anxiety in Taku's eyes.
Taku was very self-conscious at the moment. Not because he thought he was the ugliest man alive, but because he had realized just how insignificant he was. Even though he was at the peak of the Tohwe level, he was still disappointed in his own strength. In truth, most children his age had not even begun to cultivate. Most people considered him a genius, even when it came to archery and soul techniques he was still a genius.
But when those beasts locked in on them, he felt like all he could do was run. He had tried to come up with some solutions, but ultimately all he could do was run. He knew that there was potential danger wherever they were going. He had constantly asked himself if he would be able to take charge in a dangerous situation, and the answer was always no.
At the moment all he could do was rely on his speed and Maka. He just sighed. At the end of the day, Maka had also promised to teach him some martial skills. He relied so much on Maka at the moment it made him feel uncomfortable. If it was any other girl he would not have minded, but this was the girl he liked. He lived in a place in which all the women wanted men that were more powerful than they were. He frowned so much lately, that he even almost convinced himself that he was constipated.
His master had constantly scolded him about raising his power prematurely. Even though he was a genius he still needed a solid foundation. Even though this was his second life, he was still lost in so many situations. I honestly believed that wisdom came with age.… That phrase is bullsh*t.
Maybe it was because of the cultural differences between his two lives, but getting a woman should not be hard... Right?
"What the f.…!"