Kanashi let out a sigh as he stretched his back, each vertebra popping.

“It’s getting quite late isn’t it master?” Yuya asked, following Kanashi out of the train.

“Yeah, it’s already four in the afternoon isn’t it? What time does the sun normally set around this time of year?” Kanashi asked, turning around to face Yuya.

“I think around 20:30 but I might be off by a bit.” Yuya answered.

“So the sun will set in about four and a half hours then?” Kanashi muttered, “If it's an hour's journey to the basin then I’ll have three and a half hours left to search for Kenji.”

“Wait, you’re still planning on going through Renshou valley?” Yuya asked with a trembling voice.

“Yeah, I think I should be able to handle it.” Kanashi said, brushing the comment off.

“My master is truly a powerful man! Not only do you understand so much about the artform of manga but you’re also strong enough to defeat Yokai? You might even rival the great Nagowa Susano!” Yuya said, kneeling on the ground.

“You really do know how to embarrass me don’t you?” Kanashi frowned as he pulled Yuya up off the floor. I’ve never really had such an orbiter before so this is a real new experience, I’m not sure whether to take what he says as genuine praise or an ironic insult…

“But if you’re up to it I’m sure my family would be more than happy to let you stay the night at my place and head off in the morning.” Offered Yuya.

“No thank you, I’m not sure how far Kenji has traveled already so I don’t want to get much further behind him.” Kanashi answered. Also didn’t you get kicked out? Who’s to say they’re gonna let you back in let alone bring a complete stranger with you?

“I understand.” Yuya nodded his head, “But master you’ve mentioned Kenji twice now, who is this Kenji you're searching for?”

“Tatakayaiba Kenji, but I doubt you’d know-”

“The Tatakayaiba Kenji!? The last samurai of Edoland!?” Yuya screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Y-yeah I’m searching for him. Now please don’t yell like that.” Kanashi pleaded, covering his ears.

“I’m sorry it’s just that Kenji-Sama is like a master to me!”

I thought I was your master… Kanashi frowned. You know what on second thought he can have that title all he wants.

“For someone to throw away the material world and chase after their dream like he did, he’s a true hero to a struggling artist like myself! Or well, I’m not a struggling artist anymore but still he’s a personal hero to me.”

“He threw away the material world?” Kanashi repeated.

“Yes! He was once a normal man who threw it all away to live out his dream of being a Samurai like those in the movies he watched as a kid!”

“Wait, how do you know this?” Kanashi asked. It sounds like he’s just some crazy homeless guy now…

“I saw an interview he had on the news about a year ago.” Yuya answered.

“An Interview on TV!?” Kanashi gawked. I thought he was a modern Samurai who threw away the modern world so why the hell is he taking tv interviews!? It sounds to me like he's a crazy attention seeker! Was coming here even worth it!? “No, if Akatora said he’s strong then I should be fine right? I just need to put my trust in him.”

“Who’s Akatora?” Yuya asked.

“Don’t worry about it.” Kanashi sighed. “Let's try to get to your village as quickly as possible, I don’t want the sun to set before I even reach the valley.”

“Yes sir!” Yuya said with a salute.

# # #

The path to Yuyas village was a difficult one, a steep uphill hike with overgrown foliage and winding roads. As if to spite any potential travels it also happened to be the home of a highly aggressive truck sized boar. One which made it obvious that Kanashi and Yuya were not welcome there.

“Come on, let's go!” Kanashi called down to Yuya between pants, they were damn near walking up a wall with how steep the hill had become.

“I- I can’t! I think I’m having an asthma attack!” Yuya cried out between coughing fits.

“Dammit…” Kanahis sighed, feeling his own heart pound in his chest. While Yuya was exhausted from the hike itself Kanashi was being worn out by the rampaging boar. Every few minutes It’d come rushing out of the bush looking to trample either Kanashi or Yuya, its bloodlust palpable.

When it came close enough for Kanashi to deliver a killing strike it’d quickly change its course at the last second and retreat to the foliage, waiting till it saw a chance to once again sprint out and attack one of the two men. Because of this endless game what should have been a simple thirty minute hike had transformed into an hour and a half long stretch.

I should just burn this whole damn place down. Kanashi thought, clenching his fist. If the boar managed to tackle him he would probably be able to handle it because of reinforcement but if it struck Yuya he’d definitely die.

“Master behind you!” Cried Yuya.

“!?”

Kanashi whipped around just in time to see the boar charging at him full speed, its eyes glazed over with murderous intent and smoke blowing from its nose like a chimney.

[Itachi!]

Flicking his wrist, Kanashi conjured his katana and whipped it over head, striking the boar dead center on its head when it came into range.

It’s tough! He thought, feeling the beasts mass of muscle respite his blade, the was thrown backwards half a dozen or so metered with a roll and choked on his own diaphragm.

“Master!” Yuya cried out diving down the hill to Kanashis side.

The boar not relenting charged towards the pair once again this time it’s tusks lowered to stab straight through Kanashi.

[Wolf Fang Style: Lupus!]

Kanashi flew from the ground with a puff of dust and appeared over the boar's head, bringing Itachi down onto its neck he pushed as hard as he could. The muscle in his forearm bulging the blade sliced through the boar's muscle and vertebrae which cracked apart.

“Gyeeeh!” The boar screeched as it was slain. It fell to the ground like a clap of thunder, the dirt path cracking under its enormous weight.

“I did it!” Kanashi laughed while striking a victory pose. If he was playing a FPS he’d Tea bag the boars corpse, sadly the boars soul wouldn't be spectating the event so he refrained from doing so.

“Wonderfully done master!” Yuya called out joining in the laughter.

Man that hurt, my whole chest is throbbing in pain and I feel like I’m about to pass out. This thing could probably have torn down a house if it wanted to. Kanashi thought.

“But I must know how you conjured your Katana from thin air.”

“!?” Kanashi looked at Yuya with a grimace and a cold chill breaking down his spine. I’m so used to being alone or with other magic users that I didn’t even consider hiding Itachi from Yuya! Kanashi thought. “Well… I bought it from the Sosaki Corp.” Kanashi lied trying to keep a straight face.

“Oh I see, the Sosaki Corporation does make some very high quality and technologically advanced products.” Yuya nodded.

He believed me that easily!? Thank you God! Kanashi laughed with a sigh.

“But it’d be a shame to leave this corpse hanging around, it’ll attract a bear or some other boar if we don’t take care of it…” Yuya sighed. “It’s also a waste of food that I’m sure my village would appreciate.”

“But I doubt we’d be able to take it anywhere even if I made a cart out of wood…” Kanashi frowned, rubbing his chin in thought.

“You know how to do that?”

“Yeah, I had a friend teach me.” Kanashi nodded. “We also used them to haul dead pigs but they weren't even a fraction the size of this thing.” If I had to guess this might be close to say half a ton . I don’t think I’d even be able to get it onto the cart… “Wait a minute, I don’t actually need to haul it myself do I?” Kanashi asked aloud with a smile crossing his face.

“What do you mean master?” Yuya asked.

“Alright, we’ll build a cart and haul it up then.” Kanashi said with a thumbs up.

“Really? Are you sure we can haul it up the hill?”

“Yeah, I’ve got an idea.”

# # #

“That should be it.” Kanashi sighed, trying to catch his breath.

“How splendid master! I’m sure it would be able to haul even three of these pigs!” Yuya laughed, wiping the dirt from his glasses.

Both of the young men were covered in sweat and dirt from their hard work but the final product was of expected quality. Kanashi suggested the pair split up to search for wood and once Kanashi was free from Yuya's gaze he sliced down multiple trees with Itachi and called back Yuya to help haul them to the hills path.

After they reunited with the pigs corpse they connected the logs together with bunches of braided vines and finally made wheels out of stone Kanashi conjured in secrecy. The entire process took almost an hour but they managed to get it done before the sun started setting.

“At this rate I’ll only have about two hours left to find Kenji…” Kanashi frowned, rubbing his forehead. I actually don’t even know if he’s at the basin still, that’s just where he was last spotted. I guess my best course of action is to follow the path leaving the basin if he’s not there until I find him. Man this isn’t a real well thought out plan is it?

“Well then master, now that we’ve created this cart how will we get the pig onto it?” Yuya asked.

“Well I had to build the cart downhill so I could push the pig down onto it using it’s own weight against it.” Kanashi explained.

“Oh I see! But are you going to be able to move it in the first place?”

“Well see right now.” Kanashi smiled nervously.

Yuya held the cart in place while Kanashi walked around to the other side of the pig and prepared himself.

“Phew…” He sighed clearing his mind. I’m gonna need all the Enchantment I can muster for this… He thought of himself as a body full of rapid waters and converted them all into four flowing streams, one for each of his limbs filling them with power.

Arching his back forwards and putting his feet behind him he placed his hands on the pigs back and with all of his might pushed it forwards as hard as he could.

“Hnnnng!” He grunted feeling the pigs massive weight barley budge. More! I need to focus more! He thought focusing harder on the streams of water in his body. They began to turn into fast moving water which splashed around wildly while still maintaining their sense of direction, overflowing with pure power.

Veins bulge out across Kanashis arms pumping blood into his welling muscles, his legs dug into the dirt behind him leaving deep marks where he stood. The pig began to leak blood from its head as it was pushed backwards.

Kanashi saw stars as he strained, his muscles quivering with power and fatigue. With a final great push the pig flopped over onto the cart which creaked under its immense weight.

“Ha-ha-ha!” Kanashi pant, blood trickling from his nose. I might have strained myself a little too hard there huh?

“That was amazing, master! I can’t believe you were able to do it so quickly and efficiently!” Yuya cheered, running to Kanashis side and trying to give him a hug.

“Thanks, but we need to get moving.” Kanashi said holding Yuya by the head to prevent him from hugging him.

“But how will we haul it uphill now? Even though you pushed it onto the cart it looked to be extremely exhausting.” Yuya asked, pulling himself back and adjusting his glasses.

Kanashi without a word whipped his back pack to the front of his torso and quickly unzipped it, rummaging around its inner contents he pulled out a roll of bandages which he handed to Yuya.

“I’ll take care of that part but um… It’s kind of hard to do it when someone's watching me.” Kanashi said with an awkward grin. “Would you mind wrapping this around your eyes?”

“Hm, oh I’m sort of disappointed then…” Yuya frowned, taking the bandages from Kanashi and staring at them.

“Well, since you think so highly of me I wouldn’t want to tear that image down by having you watch me struggle from being nervous.”

“Nothing could ever make my opinion of you lessen master!” Yuya argued.

Just go along with it! Kanashi thought with a frown. “No it’s not about you seeing it, it’s about me being seen doing it. I just can’t help but feel like I’ll lose all my motivation and die.” Kanashi said, putting on his best impression of an embarrassed maiden.

“I see! If that’s how it is then I can’t help but oblige your request! But can you perhaps tell me to tie this around my face?”

Kanashi tired the bandages as tightly as he could over Yuyas face without causing his any discomfort, just to make sure Yuya didn’t see what he did next he even had him positioned to face down hill.

With Yuya being taken care of Kanashi turned to the front of the card and began his master plan.

[Mudd!]

Slamming his foot on the ground he conjured five large salamander golems and medium sized frog golems which looked to him awaiting their command.

“Take us up there.” He whispered pointing uphill.

I’m not great at Manipulation so I can only try to make them follow my commands, if it was as simple as [Run up there] they’d do it without issue but this requires team work it’s more complex of a command…

The frog and salamanders exchanged glances before assuming formation. The Salamanders formed a line in front of the cart with two frogs on their back, both of which used their tongues to wrap around the cart’s main anchor points.

“Haha, it worked!” Kanashi laughed wiping the sweat from his brow. I feel like I used some kind of manipulation there but I’m not sure how exactly I did it!

“What worked master!?” Yuya asked.

“My master plan! Now feel the speed in which we climb up this hill!” Kanashi yelled, jumping up onto the cart and striking his second victory pose that day. “Now go my minions, run up the hill with haste!”

The salamanders obeying the command began to move forwards, climbing the hill and pulling the cart along with them, all the while Kanashi laughed at his own genius.

“...”

“...”

“...”

Except it was painfully slow, slower than it would be if Kanashi walked uphill with only one leg. To Kanashi who expected to leave a trail of dust behind them as they rode up the hill he was extremely disappointed.

“Alright this is a bit disappointing but I can always just make more right?” He wondered, conjuring another few dozen of each, they too assumed their position and began to walk uphill but they barely pulled the cart any faster.

“Master… I can feel us moving but it’s not quite at the speed we hoped for… would you like some assistance?” Yuya asked.

“Nope! Just stay there! Give me a second to figure something out!” Kanashi barked as he de-conjured the horde of golems.

All right so this has to come down to the shape of the golems rather then the actual composition of them right? They could pull the cart but they seemed too slow because of their body shape. Salamnders and frogs can be quick but they’re not comparable to things like rabbits or horses…. So what am I doing wrong here?

Kanashi pictured both horse and salamaner in his head comparing the twos body plan. “The legs!” He said snapping his finger at the realization.

“Legs?” Yuya asked.

“Don’t worry about it.” Kanashi said, brushing Yuya's comment off. Turning back to the front of the cart he knelt down and put his hand on the ground gently. Closing his eyes he imagined himself modeling a salamander out of clay, the same way he did when he would conjure them any other time. Except this time he made sure to imagine himself sculpting their legs longer and in a digitigrade structure, their thighs thick with muscle and three joins flexible. Their feet would turn into hooves rather than chubby toes and they’d have an overall slimmer build more like an cheetah then a thick salamander.

With that imagine seared into this mind he forced it into the ground, turning his mana into water which filled the dirt making it turn into a thick soupy mud. He imagined the mud forming into the golem he’d just created in his mind, one which was like a salamander and ungulate hybrid.

Rising from the ground was his creation, dripping with still hardening mud his salamander golem started back at him waiting for its command.

“Run up that hill.” He said pointing ahead of them.

The golem without question turned around and sprinted up the hill, it’s pace being equal to Kanashis own sprint,

“Perfect!” He said, pumping his fist in the air. He’d completed what he’d needed to but now was the hard part.

# # #

A cloud of dust filled the horizon, the sound of hooves clacking echoing through the valleys and forest around Yuyas village.

Two dozen Salamander Golems molded into the shape of Ungulates raced up the hill drawing a wooden cart with a boar's corpse on it.

“Hahaha, it worked!” Kanashi laughed deconjuring the golems as they reached the hill's peak which had taken them only a few minutes to do.

“Can I take the blind fold off master?” Yuya asked.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Hm? Oh sure, go ahead.” Kanashi answered.

“That was amazing, how did you do it?” Yuya asked, his eyes sparkling.

“It’s a secret.” Kanashi answered with a coy smile. “Now where’s your village from here?”

“I’ll lead you there.” Yuya answered, taking the lead and walking straight forwards.

“Sounds good to me.” Kanashi muttered following him.

After a few minutes of walking and a few twisting turns they left a small brush and entered Yuya's village. When most people hear the word village they normally imagine an old rustic collection of wooden huts and campfires but this isn’t always the case. A village is simply a collection of people in a small area without any proper boundary or local governments, instead relying on their nearest town for those things.

Yuyas village fit this description pretty closely. It was a small cluster of old rotting wooden houses with cheap tin roofs and dirt paved roads with a few old cars sitting around. Loose dogs roamed without an owner in sight and trash was piled in front of peoples houses. The most modern thing the town had was a Sosaki Corp. Market which looked like it hadn’t been painted in over a decade, one window boarded up from never having its glass repaired.

“How old is this village?” Kanashi asked nervously.

“Hmmm, it’s been around since the Hanatei era at least but I’d say the current buildings are from around sixty years ago.”

This almost reminds me of the thunder zone in Azhar… hopefully it’s not as dangerous… Kanashi thought, looking around nervously.

“Ah there’s my house.” Yuya said, pointing off into the distance where a two story wooden house sat. It was a very small and decrepit house, maybe only 400 sq ft on each story.

This is kinda sad… Kanashi frowned. Though he was far from rich in Azhar his family was upper middle class. His father being a world history professor at ACU (Azhar City University) and his mother a seasonal Botanist that worked for a pharmaceutical company.

doesn’t seem to be embarrassed about his house so he must not be upset over his situation so why am I? Why do I feel guilty right now? What right do I have to be depressed when there’s people worse off than me? But I guess knowing somebody out there is suffering more than I am doesn’t make me feel better… It makes me feel worse. Now I not only hate myself but their situation as well… I guess there’s no winning against your own mind. It will always find a way to twist it around back on yourself.

“What’d your parents do for a living Yuya?” Kanashi asked, breaking the silence.

“Dunno about my dad, he died before I was born in an accident but my mom is a waitress and my uncle a carpenter.” Yuya answered as he walked up to the house’s front door.

“Got it.” Kanashi nodded with a weak smile.

“Yuya knocked on the door four times, except his knock was more like a punch. Four loud bangs shook the whole wooden house causing a dog inside to erupt into a panicked bark.

“What’d you do that for?” Kanashi asked with a frown.

“To let them know It’s me of course.” Yuya said with a smile.

The sound of footsteps climbing down from the second story was audible from the outside. The house seemed to tremble under the panicked dash which ended at the front door.

“Crack!”

The door swung open with a crash and the thin tired looking middle aged woman who opened it jumped out of the house and onto Yuya who she hugged.

“I thought you died!” She sobbed while hugging him.

“Of course I didn’t die!” Yuya laughed. “How could I when I have so much left to live for!”

“Kanashi smiled at this interaction and felt a slight sting in his own heart, his mom coming to mind.” Don’t spoil their moment… He thought, shaking his head to clear it of all negative thoughts.

“Mom, this is my master!” Yuya said pushing his mother off of him and pointing to Kanashi.

“Master!? Are you responsible for keeping my son alive!?” The woman asked with tears running down her face like a waterfall. Compared to Yuya her speech was much more rough, however her ability to speak Shinkai when living in such a small village was impressive enough.

“M-me? No! I’m just a friend who’s hung out with him a few times.” Kanashi laughed, waving his hands through the air nervously.

“That’s not true! It’s because you master that I got published in Monthly Manga Magazine! I’m a mangaka now, mom!”

“WHAT!?” Both Kanashi and Yuya's mother shrieked.

I must have blocked that part out of our conversation on the train! But how did he go from not even being looked at seriously to published in under a week!?

“After master gave me such a passionate speech I had a burst of energy and wrote an entire sixty page pilot chapter in three days and submitted it to the magazine company and they accepted it for publication!” Yuya explained.

“Oh my! I’m so grateful, I was beginning to lose hope for Yuya! You must have been sent by God himself!” Yuya's mother cried, tackling Kanashi with a hug.

“Gyah!” Kanashi coughed as he was constricted with a surprisingly tight bear hug from such a frail woman. Is his whole family like this!? Kanashi thought as he felt his life being squished out of him.

“That’s not all either mom! Master also slayed the large boar which was stalking the pathway up the hill! We left it at the village's outskirts!”

“It just keeps getting better and better! I can’t believe it, is this a dream!?” Yuya's mom sobbed, squeezing Kanashi even tighter.

“H-help me.” Kanashi wheezed, his face turning purple.

“Mom, you're killing my master!” Yuya cried in a panic.

“O-oh I’m sorry I’m just so happy!” His mother said as she released Kanashi.

I- i just wanted to go to the waterfall basin! Kanashi thought as stood up shakily.

“We-were not the richest but if you need anything, anything at all we can help you get it! This is the greatest day of my life next to Yuya being born!”

“I need to go to the Shimona WaterFall Basin by passing through Renshou Valley.” Kanashi coughed, wiping the dust off his body.

“...”

Yuya's mothers expression changed completely, her face went white and she averted Kanashis gaze.

“Trust me mom! Master is more than capable of defending himself against the Kamaitachi!” Yuya said, rubbing his mothers back.

“Even if that’s the case It’s not up to me, but the town's elders whether or not he can pass through, it’s their land after all.” His mother sighed.

“If that’s an issue I can just hop over their fence, trust me when I say they won’t be able to catch me.” Kanashi said with a strained smile.

“No, if we’re to do this, it must be done the right way! We can’t just break the town's laws for the sake of convenience!”

Kanashi frowned at this response and considered his options.

I can play along with them and see what their Elders say and if they refuse to let me through I can just force my way in. But that might reflect poorly on Yuya and his family who still have to live here still…

“Allright, let’s go meet the elders.” Kanashi sighed. The sun had neared its lowest point before officially setting. A light orange hue begins to fill the firmament.

# # #

The boar's corpse had quite the crowd gathered around it, people of all ages seemed to be drawn to the massive beast which lay limp on the crude wooden cart built for it.

“Who did this?”

“Is this Inosasaou!?”

“No, Inosasaou is much bigger than this, it must be his child!”

“But that means there’s more of them out there!”

“If they were to storm our village we'd surely be done for! They’d run over our houses like it was no problem!”

“We need to prepare to defend ourselves!”

“But who did this!? Its head was sliced open like someone with extreme skill did it! Was it a bear!?”

“No it must have been a Tengu!”

“A demon! It has to have been an Oni Demon!”

The whispering gossip of the crowd stung Kanashis ears as they approached them.

“No! This was no demons doing!” Yuya cried out, gaining the crowd's attention.

“!” Kanashi looked at Yuya in a panic, already knowing what he was going to say.

“It was my master! He slayed the beast with the power of a million men! He’s truly a god amongst men! This man right here Sarumalder Kanashi Sensei!” Yuya yelled out in in Edogo.

I don't know what he said but I also do at the same time! And there’s nothing good to come from it! Kanasho thought his brow turning upwards.

“A foreigner?” Someone in the crowd asked.

“I heard they’re bigger and stronger than Edojin but he’s so small and frail!”

“He doesn’t look like the ones on TV at all! They’re all large and muscular with blonde hair!”

“He must be from some unknown country!”

“Yeah, a savior from the heavens.” Another joked with a snort.

These guys probably have little to no experience with foreigners other than what they see in movies! Kanashi thought unsure of what to do. I hope they don’t try to keep me here or something!

“Silence!” An raspy deep voice called out quieting the crowd's gossip.

“?”

The crowd split apart forming a path for what Kanashi could only assume to be the elder. He was a short man with long white braided hair and heavily cataract eyes. “Do you speak Edogo?” He asked Kanashi.

“I-iya!” Kanashi answered, shaking his head.

“Then it’s peculiar that you’ve found this place! However I on behalf of the village must commend you for slaying this beast which has been stalking our path!” The man yelled out in Shinkai bowing his head. The crowd followed in unison, also bowing their heads towards Kanashi.

“No! It’s fine, It was stalking me so I took care of it for my own safety!” Kanashi argued trying to weasel his way out of the situation.

“Even if that’s the case you’re still a hero to this town now! Please tell me what your desire is and I shall do my best to fulfill it!”

“Oh! I want to travel through Renshou valley to reach the Shimona waterfall basin!” That was easier than I thought! Kanashi thought with a smile.

“!”

The entire crowd was taken aback by Kanashi's request and murmured amongst each other for a moment.

“Renshou valley!?”

“He can’t be serious can he?”

“But he slayed the boar so maybe he can do it!”

“Yes, he’s going to slay the kamaitachi for us! He’ll free us from their curse!”

“Silence!” The elder yelled out, clapping his hands.

The crowd once again grew silent and looked at both Kanashi and the Elder with a nervous aura.

“You wish to travel through Renshou valley then?”

“Yep.”

“Do you know about the Kamaitachi?”

“Sure do.”

“And you’re confident in your ability to survive them? It’s one thing to slay a boar such as this but even the boars avoid Renshou valley in fear of the Kamaitachi.”

“!” Kanashi bit his lip at this revelation. If that’s true then they probably are imaginary creatures with a bad attitude who attack anything that enters…

“Master will have no issue defeating the Kamaitachi!” Yuya yelled, stepping up to the plate.

“Yuya!” His mother cried out looking at her son.

The crowd followed suit, all gasping and looking at Yuya.

“Shouten Yuya… you understand your word is less than credible, correct? Your tales of Dinosaurs and dragons sleeping in the caves of the mountains and being hunted by Iju have ruined your credibility considerably.” The elder asked, raising one bushy brow.

“Alright the Dinosaur and Dragons might be made up but I will die on the hill of the Iju chasing me!” Yuya cried out.

Iju are like sasquatch right? Kanashi thought.

“Would you stake your master's life on it?” The elder asked.

“Urk!” Yuya bit his tongue at this and clenched his fist.

“If you can’t do so then you might as well be lying.” The elder sighed.

“Even if you choose to not believe my story about the Iju you must admit that my Master is strong! Look at the boar who lay there! Not even all the men in our village have been able to slay it! Every trap we’ve tried they’ve broken free from and all weapons are unable to pierce its thick skin!”

“...” The elder scrunched up his face as he listened to Yuya and then shook his head. “I understand the credibility of him slaying this boar but I cannot allow a man to walk into his death under my control! Do you not agree with me Izumi!?” He asked, looking at Yuya's mom who gulped nervously.

“Hey are you guys done? I have to go.” Kanashi interrupted with a sigh.

“!?” The elder looked to Kanashi who ruffled his hair in annoyance.

“Look, I’m getting kinda tired of this arguing so either you let me through or I go through myself.” He said confidently admiring how bad ass he appeared in that moment.

The elder sighed as he rubbed his forehead. “I can offer you a nights stay in this village and a guide around the mountain itself in the morning, that would be much more reasonable for both of us.”

“Nope, I need to cross through today, I can’t waste anymore time.” Kanashi argued, shaking his head.

“...”

“I can promise you I’ll be fine, and if there’s a 0.0001% I do die I won't haunt you.”

“...I’ll…permit it.”

“Yes!” Kanashi grunted with a fist bump.

“Though only on one condition!”

“Oh?”

“Your feat of slaying the boar is truly impressive but the Kamaitachi are nothing like a boar. They’re quick and able to fight from a long rage. In order for you to cross you must prove to me you can avoid their attacks.”

“How do I do that?” Kanashi asked with a frown.

“You must duel my grandson Wabuko!” The elder declared.

“!”

Quiet whispers broke out amongst the crowd with a nervous hum at the elders' mention of his grandson.

“I don’t mean to be rude here but your grandson couldn’t slay the boar right? How exactly is he going to test my skill?”

“He may not have physical strength but his speed makes up for it! His sword swings are more than capable of slicing the very air itself apart! You will not be able to defeat the Kamaitachi through strength but rather speed! If you defeat my grandson I’ll allow your passage!” The elder yelled, slamming his cane on the ground.

“Alright, just make it fast please.” Kanashi sighed.

# # #

The crowd formed a small circle around Kanashi and the elders' grandson. Both men stood four meters across from each other in a patch of dirt and brandished wooden bokken swords. They wore no protective gear, the only armor being the clothes on their back.

The elder grandson Wabuko was a tall man about a head above Kanashi and dense with muscle. Though he wasn’t a hulking figure he looked intimidating enough that you’d want to avoid a fight with him. Overall if one was to look at this match from the outside you’d think that Wabuko was going to clobber Kanashi to death with a wooden sword. And you might have been right, Wabuko was far physically stronger than Kanashi and quicker as well. Not only were their physical differences glaring but so was their experience. Wabuko had lived his life in the mountain village fighting wild animals and bandits. He’d had a much harder life than Kanashi ever had. However there was something glaring that gave Kanashi a greater advantage in this fight.

“Start!” The elder cried out clapping his hands.

“!”

Wabuko seemed to teleport in front of Kanashi only leaving a trail of dust from where he’d first started. It was so fast in fact that the crowd didn’t even cheer. Their brains simply didn’t register the action in time.

With his Bokken raised above his head Wabuko already planned where his three strikes would land on Kanashi. One on his shoulder the other his knee and finally his neck. A brutal three hit combo which would surely leave Kanashi bedridden for a week straight. Before he could carry out that plan however…

[Crescent Moon Style: Crescent Moon!]

It was a single clean move, Kanashi countered Wabukos bokken with his own and pushed it upwards in a clockwise manner. Once he’d forced the sword to Wabukos opposite side he struck his exposed waist.

“Gah!” Wabuko gagged as his side caved in, his eyes widening in pain.

Kanashi with narrowed eyes pulled back his sword and watched as Wabuko clutched his side while he kneeled on the ground struggling to catch his breath.

I only won that because I know magic, if it was just the two of us using skill and our physical bodies I would have lost for sure. There’s no way I’d be able to match him. Magic really is like cheating! Kanashi thought with an awkward smile as a bead of sweat dripped down his cheek.

“It’s over! Sarumalder-San… has defeated Wabuko.” The elder said stepping up between the men.

But there was no sound of applause at this declaration, mainly because nobody had even been able to watch the match. As soon as it started it was over.

“Seeing your ability to counter my grandson and defeat him in battle I do grant you passage through Renshou valley.” The elder said to Kanashi.

“O-oh thank you.” Kanashi nodded as he looked away from Wabuko.

“That was wonderful, master!” Yuya yelled running up to Kanashi.

“Yeah… he was.” Kanashi said looking at Wabuko who struggled to stand with the help of his grandfather. “I held back quite a bit so he should be fine in a few minutes.” Kanashi muttered. It’s impressive that somebody not using enhancement can be so quick! His speed was amazing. If someone like him learned magic he’d surely reach incredible heights. How many people are out there like this in the real world? How many one in one million prodigies never realize their true peak potential because they lack a mentor? If magic was to become known to the population at large what kind of chaos would unfold!?

“Well then Sarumalder-San, allow me to show you to the Renshou valley.” The elder said, bowing his head.

“Alright, thank you.” Kanashi nodded, turning to Yuya with a smile. I think I might miss him actually. These past few hours have been sorta fun believe it or not…

“I-I can't believe you’re leaving me so soon! I’d ask you to stay but I know it’d be wrong! How could I hog all your greatness to myself!? Yuya said between sobs.

Alright, maybe I actually won’t miss him… Kanashi thought as he patted Yuya on the back. “I’m happy for you man, do your best out there with your manga. I’ll pick it up whenever the first volume is out.” He said with a sideways smile.

“Well, then shall we go?” The elder asked, pulling on the back of Kanashis shirt.

“Yeah, let’s go.” Nodded Kanashi.

# # #

Only the Elder and Kanashi were at the valley's opening, all others were forbidden from entering. Though Yuya tried to go all the way to the end his mother held him back as he struggled against her.

The valley itself was blocked off by three large red boulders positioned in a way that resembled a door frame. Between the boulders was a small gap which was obscured by a blue transparent film acting like a door.

“What’s that blue thing?” Kanashi asked, tilting his head.

“Blue thing?” The elder questioned Kanashi.

“Yeah, that blue film-like curtain thing that’s covering the entry hole. You can’t see that?”

“I’m afraid not, perhaps my vision is getting worse than I’d expected…”

“Strange…” Kanashi muttered. It must be some kind of barrier, then. Is it to keep people out or the Kamaitachi in? If it’s the latter then they must be imaginary creatures… and that’s really not good for me…

“Well, I hope you do well. The elder said bowing to Kanashi.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine, I always survive somehow. It’s almost like I’m unkillable, haha.” Kanashi laughed, the image of Satoshi flashing through his mind. “Well I’ll get going then. I’d like to reach at least the basin before night time.”

“Are you sure you can’t wait until the morning? I’d be more than happy to give you a room for the night.”

“Thank you but I’m fine. I just need to take the plunge already.” Kanashi said as he began to walk towards the gate. Upon closer inspection the film was most definitely a barrier of some kind, an ancient one at that. It looked nothing like the kinds Kanashi had seen before. Though hard to describe to one without the ability to use observation it was similar to the yellowing on a books paper. It just looked old. How old exactly Kanashi wasn’t sure and he wasn’t really that interested either.

So at some point somebody who knew magic created this… was it a passerby? Local shaman or priest? Did this village at one point have magic users who never passed their knowledge onwards?

With a deep breath Kanashi walked through the barrier and into the valley. It felt as though he’d walked through a cold waterfall, his skin growing chills across it.

Once through he looked back and saw that the Elder had vanished.

“Hmmm, so much for caring about me then.” He frowned before turning back to the path in front of him. “Well then I can use this earlier then at least!”

[Mudd Chimera: Bakou!]

Stomping his foot on the ground, Kanashi conjured a single golem, a Salamander with long horse-like legs made for long distance running. The same golem he’d just recently created to haul the boar uphill.

“Looking good if I do say so myself.” He hummed inspecting the Salamander. “Loooking good indeed.”

After admiring his work for a few more seconds he climbed atop the salamander's backs and gave it a light tap on the head as the signal to move. Immediately the Salamander began to gallop its way down the valley path at an impressive speed. While not as fast as a real horse or deer it was still much quicker then Kanashi could run so he was pleased with the change.

Looking around at the Valley Kanashi saw not a single weasel, in fact there wasn’t a single other animal, not so much as an insect or even a plant. Just reddish brown boulders lining the valley walls with a small hole or two in them every once in a while.

“Maybe they’re all gone? Did somebody exercise them all at some point? Actually can you even exercise an imaginary creature? You can’t just exorcize a Griffon so I guess you'd have to kill them individually. But that sounds like a real pain…” As Kanashi thought this aloud his mount continued to gallop through the valley which had multiple twists and turns along its path. In total he’d probably been riding for around five minutes with no sign of trouble and he began to feel relaxed.

“Maybe those stories were just that, stories. I mean there’s thousands of Yokai and even more monsters in the world. What’s the chance of any of them being real? Besides, such a small town couldn’t have enough energy to create a whole new creature right?” He muttered rubbing his chin.

My hypothesis must have been right, There was some crazy Samurai or Bandit that robbed people who came through the valley and the locals thought it must have been some weasels who lived in the valley were responsible. But I haven’t seen a weasel so far… maybe they killed them all in fear? Humans have done things like that before like the Zanjan… With a sigh Kanashi leaned back on the Salamander letting the cool air run through his hair which blew back in the wind. The sun was officially beginning to set and an orange glow was splattered across the sky turning the clouds golden.

“I could probably sleep out here like this…” He muttered, closing his eyes.

ZIP!

“!”

Kanashi was suddenly thrown forwards off of his Salamander mount which had made a sudden and complete stop during its dash. His face had rubbed up against the harsh sandy floor, slicing his cheek and forehead open with a spray of blood.

“Shit!” He cried clutching his face which seared in pain. “What the hell did you do that for!?” He screamed looking up at his golem.

“!?”

However his golem had vanished, only a puddle of mud lying where it had once stood. At this sight a cold chill ran up Kanashi's spine and his bladder threatened to empty itself. He slowly looked to his right and what he saw almost made him piss his pants.

Standing on a stone ledge against the valley's wall was a weasel, one with a bright red coat and soulless pitch black eyes. Its claws were long and razor sharp looking more like sickles than anything else. Though there was not just one of these weasels. No, there were a hundred and they all stared at Kanashi with a murderous rage.

“Ah…ahhh…” Kanashi muttered out, his throat so dry he couldn’t speak. To his left side was another army of weasels, and above him atop the valley walls another army. From behind boulders in the path came weasels and from the holes in the walls came more.

The entire valley was filled with murderous weasels which watched Kanashi tremble in pure fear.

“K-k-kamaitachi…”