PART 1

As the earth quaked with the clashes of mighty beasts and equally brave warriors, it became crystal clear to all present that this had devolved into an endless stalemate.

The stage of this great struggle was the main roadway to Ganga village. A village found close to the edge of Sokoke Forest.

A village it may be, but it was still a surprisingly large and fairly fortified settlement.

Of course, now that it had been conquered by ferocious bandits, said fortifications had been supplemented with the aid of Demonic Beasts.

The heroic saviors in the form of soldiers and mercenary adventurers from the Odd Jobs Guild were already a bit too late to stop the bandit invasion.

They were also unable to free the village from their occupation.

The result was a frustrating battle just outside of Ganga’s walls. One that showed no sign of making any conceivable progress.

As the chaos of this battle raged on, something rather peculiar was happening a good bit further back from the front lines.

A large 15m tree had been bent into a rather awkward position with a huge boulder standing in front of it.

As for the culprits behind this strange occurrence…

“Hnghhh!!!”

A rather muscular form was pulling the tree into an inclined position as if her life depended on it.

“You know it’s actually quite fascinating. When we tested the prototype on the river Tana, we actually managed to get some impressive results.”

A spectacles wearing man stood next to her and was casually talking to her while facing a dismantled Koteni carriage.

“Hnghhhhh!!!” The muscular woman definitely wasn’t paying as much attention as she normally would.

“The built-up potential energy from the contraption managed to throw the projectile across the great river at an incredible speed.”

The spectacled man continued as he casually carved some strange markings onto a wooden talisman. All while looking at a drawing of a peculiar spherical structure.

“Elastic forces are truly impressive. It’s how I came to the idea of making something similar to breach these defenses”

He didn’t seem too concerned about the constant grunting of the woman nearby.

“That’s… great…Matuzo. But…Why didn’t you just bring the damn thing here!?” Her frustrated inquiry was understandable.

“Quite simply because I couldn’t, my dear Rena. It was property of the Ministry of Knowledge and I couldn’t be bothered with the paperwork needed to get it.”

“So…why…didn’t you… just make your own!?” Rena said while trying to hold it in position.

“I could do that but why put so much effort when I can have you just pull a tree for me with your absurd Gorilla strength. That Spirit Fusion Totem is amazing.”

As Matuzo said this, he placed a white stone gem into a carved hole in the talisman and proceeded to place the whole thing into a freshly carved slot in the Koteni carriage.

“To think it gives you the strength of a legendary beast on top of your already impressive strength.”

“Spare me… the praise…You…shamans… have something better.”

“You mean the Final State? As far as a type of spirit fusion goes, it does draw out more power but it is hardly user friendly like yours. The backlash makes most of us not bother with using it.”

As he said that, Matuzo was busy attaching some sort of large tray holding mechanism onto the tree trunk.

“Just Hurry. Why…did you…have to reinforce...the tree… further?”

Matuzo had used one of his talismans to strengthen the tree’s physical properties. Doing so had definitely made things much harder for Rena than anticipated.

“I only made it about twenty times stronger so that it can output greater power. The speed of this thing has to be top notch. Don’t worry. You’ll be fine. I believe in you.”

Matuzo reassured her in an absent-minded tone while tightly fastening the holding mechanism.

Rena had never wanted to strangle someone so fervently for unneeded encouragement.

Once it was well fastened, Matuzo placed a makeshift ramp made from the wooden sitting platforms for the carriage’s driver. It connected all the way to the dismantled carriage body.

He then proceeded to activate the talisman on the carriage by running a small portion of aura through it.

As he did this, he chanted the words:

“ZOTE ZIWE [THAT THEY BE ONE]”

The talisman was activated as the carvings glowed with a brilliant white light and an explosive aura spread through the carriage.

Its form coiled and shifted into one that greatly resembled the peculiar spherical drawing that Matuzo had been looking at earlier.

“Hmm. The procedure was successful. As expected of me.”

Satisfied with his work, Matuzo pushed the spherical contraption onto the holding mechanism on the tree trunk.

“And now we can begin. Once I give the signal, you can let go and join the others in seizing the front door.”

“Are you…sure? You’ll…be alone and trapped…with them.”

“Indeed. I kind of feel bad for them.”

Matuzo entered the spherical contraption and secured himself inside. Once he was ready, he pulled a rope releasing a green flag on the outer surface of the sphere.

Rena saw this and proceeded to let go of her exhausting burden. She fell on her back with relief all over her face.

At the same time, the tree snapped back to its original position at alarming speed.

As it slammed into the large boulder in front of it, the spherical mass holding Matuzo was hurled into the heavens.

Rena looked on in amazement as it flew off at a speed that not even the fastest of birds could keep up with.

A single thought ran through her mind as she remembered the whole so-called plan that had necessitated this activity.

Matuzo had given all sorts of reasons for why his strategy was the only way to victory.

“Only way to victory? Nonsense.”

However, Rena was not convinced.

“That idiot really just wanted to get shot into the air, didn’t he?”

She said with a mildly annoyed expression.

PART 2

“Greetings and salutatio-”

“You’re Late!!!”

The voice of a certain Chief Bandit was cut off by a rather livid lady.

“Someone’s in quite the mood.”

“You took way too long getting the elder here. Are the hostages...”

“Combat Assistants. Hostage is such a crude word.”

“Are they ready or not ?!!”

“My men are doing the necessary. Quit worrying.”

“Don’t tell me to quit worrying. We don’t have much time.”

“Are you actually worried about those Odd Jobs mercenaries. They could never-”

“The mercenaries!? They’re irrelevant!! I have bigger things to worry about!!”

As she said this she rushed for the elder. He was tied up and had his mouth gagged.

“Was the gag really necessary?”

“He’s incredibly mouthy for an old man.”

She ripped open the gag and placed her hand on the elder’s head.

“The Kigango pillar. Where is it?”

“I would never tell the likes of you.”

“You don’t need to. Simply responding to my question is enough.”

“Wha…Arghh!!”

“Now let’s see what secrets lie in your mind...Wait…”

Suddenly, a thunderous shock ran through her body.

“Are you alright?”

“Argh!!”

“She’s alright,” the Chief Bandit thought.

The livid lady reached for the old man’s clothing and pulled out a necklace tucked inside it.

A talisman with the royal family’s crest was on it.

“This protective talisman. Is it an anti-clairvoyant curse by the Royal Family?”

“Bestowed upon me to keep witches like you from reaching my village’s sacred treasure...”

The witch in question seemed unfazed by the elder’s words.

“I see. A powerful talisman…but fragile like most things in this world.”

She began squeezing the talisman in her right hand. Her aura ran through it and the talisman responded accordingly.

“Your hand is burning.” The Chief Bandit casually remarked.

“I can see that.”

Her hand had been covered by yellow flames but she seemed uninterested.

Suddenly. Black markings appeared around her arm.

The yellow flames surrounding her hand soon turned into a menacing purple as she crushed the talisman into countless burnt pieces.

“How? That’s impossible. No mere witch could possibly break through the defence on their own.”

“Unfortunately for you I am no mere witch.”

She grabbed onto the elder’s head before continuing.

“I am the cult leader of a hundred spellcasters. I am Latisha of 100 demons. Remember that and dread it.”

The elder reeled in pain as Latisha proceeded to forcefully pull the information out of his mind.

In mere seconds, she had what she needed as her victim fell to the ground with a loud thud.

PART 3

The ground trembled. The stone carving of the god of death was rapidly being moved to the side.

It revealed a hidden chamber with a singular sunroof as a source of light.

What stood in the center of this chamber was a rather large, white, stone alter.

The alter surrounded a stone pillar upon which a wooden statue had been fixed.

The wooden statue had triangular chip-carved designs filled, alternately, with coral-based plaster.

Plenty of smaller ones were surrounding the stone pillar within the alter.

Latisha and the Chief Bandit made their way into the chamber.

"Is that the Kigango pillar?"

"Yes. I can finally work on putting my plan to motion."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

" What do you even need this thing for?"

"It acts as a conduit linking the physical and spiritual realms. I'm going to use it to set up a more powerful defense around the village."

"How exactly will you manage that with this?"

" This thing links the village to the ancestors and draws out divine protection through the covenant made between them and the gods."

As she said this, she made her way to the alter. A barrier of yellow flames stood in her path as if rejecting her very existence in that place.

She did not falter as she countered with a sinister mix of purple and red aura. The mysterious markings around her hands were clear as day.

"That territorial advantage is what makes fighting Vutenia's divine vessels so difficult for the likes of us and why you need a lot of power to take them out."

"Then it's a good thing we have plenty of that."

"Not enough. I'm expending far more effort than I need to, because of this pillar. It keeps resisting the defensive territory that I placed around the village."

"So, you'll destroy it?"

"If I overwrite it by linking it to my ancestors then I can create a more effective defensive territory against any threat."

She headed for the wooden statue fixed into the pillar. Her intent was to pull it out and replace it with one of her own. All the smaller statues surrounding the pillar were burnt away as she did so.

" Going through all this effort when we've basically won. If the mercenaries aren't the cause of this. What is?"

“It’s not them I’m concerned about. It’s the reinforcements. Gesa’s most proficient shaman is headed this way. One of my familiars sensed his aura.”

“That High Priest?”

“Exactly. My defensive territories are naturally weak against his authorities over the land itself. That’s besides the fact that, if given the chance, his raw power could rival that of Vutenia's Nine Generals.”

“Is he really all that great. What’s he going to do? Throw stones at us.”

“He’s more likely to drop a village on us. This village.”

“…Hmph. Not a problem.”

"Don't let the power I gave you get to your head. We need every advantage we can get if we're up against him. I've sent a few beasts to slow him down but it's only a matter of time."

"I get it. I get it. Take care of the minor players and get ready for the main act."

"Exactly. No mercenary army could counter my defences. They could never get through my demonic beasts protecting both land and sky. They could never get through the multilayered cursed barriers that turn those I deem enemies into a pile of ash and salt. Once I expand my territory, they'll be dead and go-"

Suddenly one of the Chief Bandit's subordinates rushed in to relay some terrible news.

"Chief! One of the mercenaries broke through the defenses by shooting a giant ball!!"

"What!?"

"What?!"

The two leaders didn't know how to process that information.

PART 4

In the strange, demonic filled skies around Ganga village, an even stranger sight was shooting by.

The large spherical ball was unaffected by the mighty flames of 4m tall Demonic crows.

One of them tried to intercept and unleashed a barrage of razor-sharp feathers. Both the feathers and its head were easily blown away.

The cursed barrier of flames did nothing to the streaking mass.

The curse of salt only managed to coat the outer layer and was easily peeled off.

The bandits watched in bewilderment as the mass descended upon the village with alarming speed. Perfectly landing and causing immense damage to the main roadway within the village.

Amidst the earth-shaking noise and raised cloud of dust, the bandits could not help but wonder what mad fool could have sent this absurd contraption over the walls. They would wonder no more.

" Hmm. Besides the mild nausea and dizziness...that was a very successful landing wouldn't you say?"

The fool in question was praising his absurd efforts as he walked out of the sphere.

"I think there should be a limit to how much appreciation you give yourself Matuzo..."

An unknown voice gave his concerns about Matuzo's strange assessment of the situation.

"Nonsense, Mawazo. There is no limit to loving what is good."

"That's Lord Mawazo."

"Come now. How many times have we done this. You'd think by now that you of all people would know that there's no need to be so formal with me."

"I'm the one asking you to be formal with me, Matuzo..."

The pleas of the divine presence known as Mawazo seemed to fall on deaf ears.

The bandits were initially confused by the spectacled man in front of them that seemed to be talking to himself. They soon opted to simply slaughter the intruder.

As they rushed in for the kill, Matuzo himself seemed unbothered if not a little bit excited.

The first bandit to reach him swung his club only to be flipped over and knocked into the sphere behind Matuzo. A thunderous shock ran through him knocking him out.

In all honesty, he was the lucky one. The others came in droves as black marks streaked across their forearms. They would not be as fortunate.

Matuzo's eyes began glowing with the white light of thin halo rings surrounding his pupils.

He weaved and darted passed their attacks with expert precision as he drew out his blade. A curved blade with a particularly sharp edge.

One of the bandits unleashed a large swing with his heavy 2 metre war hammer. It cracked the ground and left a chasm a few metres long.

However, his target had long since dodged it and proceeded to slice off his burly arm.

The rest of the initial wave of bandits suffered a similar fate. It was a graceful dance of blood and screams.

He broke the bones of some and cut off the limbs of others. He was incredibly efficient at both seeing through their moves and finding their weak spots.

It was more than simply War Instinct. He was discerning and dismantling their actions before they could even think of them.

He prepared counters with his talismans to special abilities that they had yet to even fully execute.

It was Revelation of a higher order.

"We're getting slaughtered here. Hasn't the chief received the message yet !?"

"I sent it already. They should already know!!"

The panicked cries of the troop leader and his bandit subordinate were clear testament of their horrid situation.

Matuzo headed for the doorway with unbridled speed. He cleaved apart the thick lock on the front gate and kicked it open.

"Matuzo's opened the gate!!"

"Enough of this deadlock. We're charging in!!!"

The voices of the mercenary and soldier leaders roused their warriors to boldly brave the bounds of the defensive territory they had carefully tried to avoid.

They forced their way straight through the front. No longer needing to worry about both demonic beast and cursed territories.

To the bandits’ dismay, it seemed they had good reason to.

"Hmm. It seems the sphere is working just fine."

"Of course, it is. It would be rather awkward if it didn't."

The sphere in question was being used to project an immense amount of aura that covered a 400m radius.

This covered most of the front entrance walls and cancelled the effects of Latisha's curses.

It was more than simply a stylish means of invading enemy territory. Countering the defensive territory was its true purpose.

The brave heroes stormed the front door while taking on both man and beast.

The tides were beginning to shift in their favor.

With each passing moment, the bandits' numbers fell alongside their demonic beasts. At an increasingly alarming rate.

Suddenly another horde of demonic beasts flooded the battlefield. Accompanying them was a dozen witches.

"They've somehow managed to peel away Latisha’s territory.”

“Then we’ll just attack them directly with our own curses.”

“NZOTO IWE [That they burn]”

“NTUMVI ZIWE [That they salt the earth]”

They projected their curses onto the battlefield. They burned some to ash while turning others to salt.

Some of their attacks headed for Matuzo. In the next instant, two of the witches burst into flames as the third crumbled into salt.

“What? He sent them back!? Enduring them is one thing but a reflection spell!?”

“I didn’t even see him chant. All he did was swing his blade.”

“Just what is that blade?”

As they discussed this, they sent 20 of their demonic beasts to attack Matuzo.

Matuzo studiously fought on. A great ball of flames was hurled at Matuzo.

He countered with a strike through its center that immediately dispersed it.

While observing the aura coming out of Matuzo as well as Matuzo’s visage, one of the witches came to a realization.

“It’s not just the blade. His eyes…a shaman. From the Ministry of Knowledge.”

As the witches discussed this amidst the chaos, they understood the implication. He could see the actual cursed spirits being used to create the attacks unlike the average adventurer who isn’t naturally born with high spirit potential.

“So, it’s one of their Spirit Arts? I’ve never heard of them having something like that. Countering with just a swing is a bit ridiculous.”

“The glyphs on his blade are probably an embedded talisman. I’m guessing they deflect the spirits’ curses to the direction of whoever summoned them.”

“But he would have to control them. They can’t just magically bounce off his sword!”

“Mawazo is the god of knowledge. He would likely know the true names needed for controlling them. It’s pretty obvious when you think about it.”

“Just invoking him with the necessary spell would be enough.”

“Crafting something so powerful…These shamans truly are privileged with resources.”

“Not for long.”

“Soon. We will have it all.”

“No longer hiding in the shadows.”

Their resolve renewed, they mentally relayed instructions to their demonic beasts.

Matuzo had already dismantled most of them and was ready to make quick work of the rest.

The Demon Crows suddenly retreated to the side of the witches. Leaving the other demonic beasts to keep Matuzo company.

Black marks were streaking across the witches’ forearms.

Matuzo had a grim realization as soon as he saw them. Mawazo’s Revelation was being blocked. He couldn’t see what they were about to do.

He would need to focus his energies to break through but he didn’t have the time.

Suddenly, the crows unleashed a horrid barrage of deadly cries. They pierced into Matuzo’s very mind and body with sharp demonic energy unlike any he ever felt.

Even without the mystic force behind it, it was still an incredibly piercing shriek that cut through the air.

This was their intent. A shaman’s abilities were useless if he couldn’t focus his mental energies on utilizing them. If anything, it would be dangerous to try and use them while their mind was disturbed.

Matuzo was frozen in place as the remaining demonic beasts pounced on him. He had to refocus and quick but it was anybody’s guess if he would make it in time.

“This might be bad.” He thought mere moments away from his demise.

A hail of debris suddenly rained down on the Demon crows as two streaking figures knocked back the two remaining Demonic Beasts.

The first figure was a fairly large boulder thrown at absurd speeds. The second figure was that of the ferocious Rena sending her enemy flying.

“Are you alright? This is what you get for being careless.”

“Admittedly so. I didn’t think they’d have a way of countering Mawazo’s Revelation so easily.”

Matuzo stood up while holding his head before sighing with relief at being freed from the crow’s onslaught.

“So even Matuzo the All-knowing doesn’t see through everything.”

“I never claimed to be omniscient. Besides, knowledge is something that’s ever evolving and the future is always changing. That’s what makes seeing it so interesting for me.”

As he said this, the light in Matuzo’s eyes grew in intensity as the Halo ring tripled in size and almost completely filled out his iris.

“Alright then. I can finally see things clearly again.”

The frustrated looks on the witches faces made it abundantly clear that they were no longer on the winning team.

“Hmm. These witches are indeed quite powerful. But it shouldn’t be a problem for us.”

“Then let’s get to it then.”

As they jumped forth to battle, they were abruptly interrupted by a sudden wall of purple flames between them and their enemies.

It seemed even the witches were surprised by its sudden appearance.

Its source was a 2m tall figure with black marks streaking across his arms.

He stood atop the tallest building in the vicinity about 300 m away from Matuzo and Rena.

“Greetings and Salutations, great heroes of the Odd Jobs Guild!! It seems you’ve been taking good care of my subordinates while I was busy!!”

The Chief Bandit had made his arrival.

His powerful voice shook the earth demanding the attention of all and sundry. The battle had come to a brief halt as they looked towards him.

Accompanying him were the remaining bandits as well as a disturbing sight for the ‘heroes’ in question.

“That’s…”

“Matuzo. What should we…?”

“…”

Matuzo could only respond with silence.

PART 5

It was the villagers of Ganga village. They had been gagged, blindfolded and tied onto wooden stakes. Naturally, these were surrounded by rather flammable material.

They were being carried around by a parade of Koteni carriages. It was as if they were ornamental statues to be admired.

However, what was truly disturbing was the sight of the larger Koteni Carriage at the back.

It was being pulled by a magnificent Ivory Beast that had no business even being in the village.

As for what lay atop the carriage, it was a horror that made even seasoned veterans sick to their stomachs.

Tied to bars of a large cage was a small boy hanging by his arms. One of his legs was already a distant memory. Black burn marks were on the clothing wrapped around the wound.

It was makeshift surgery to stop the bleeding.

The tears still streaking across his face was proof that it was a recent procedure. They could only imagine the pain he was going through.

To make matters worse, he was not alone in that cage. A 3m monstrosity was lying in wait below him. His mouth was watering in anticipation. Frustrated by the metal gate between them.

Every time he bit into it; the metal clank served to remind the child of how close he was to the jaws of death.

“Hmmphhh!!”

The boy’s cries dealt a devastating blow to them. They knew they could not move carelessly lest the child’s and everyone else’s lives would be forfeit.

“Good. I like the expressions on your faces!! But do not despair. I have a proposition for you. Why don’t we play a little game of tag?”

“Tag?”

“The rules are simple! Our demonic beasts will attack you. For every demonic beast you evade or block, I kill an equivalent number of villagers. For every demonic beast that successfully attacks you, I release an equivalent number of villagers. If all of you are tagged by the demonic beasts then I will release all the villagers currently alive in this village. A fair and unbiased game, don’t you think?”

“…”

There was silence as the Chief Bandit continued.

“I’ll even enter a Cursed Covenant with one of you. This way you’ll be certain I’ll keep my end of the bargain.”

A Cursed Covenant was a mystic bond used to guarantee promises made to another party, usually a witch, would be honored no matter what. Failure to do so would result in the death and eternal torment of one’s soul by a cursed spirit.

In a covenant between organizations. The curse could even pass on to its affiliated members.

It was a horribly malicious and tempting deal.

There were currently thirty demonic beasts on the battlefield. If they chose to continue fighting then they would sacrifice thirty of the seventy villagers currently in front of them.

This came with the almost guaranteed recovery of the rest of them. Sacrifice the few to save the many.

But allowing themselves to be killed will guarantee all of the villagers are saved. Even those hidden away as insurance will be spared. Something not guaranteed to happen if they chose to fight on.

The whole point of the subjugation was to save as many villagers as possible. No matter the cost.

In simple terms. If they let themselves get killed or have most of them damaged to the point of death then they can save all of the villagers.

It seemed like a terrible offer that they couldn’t trust but what choice did they have?

“I guess we’ll just have to grit our teeth and take it.” Rena said with a wry smile.

Matuzo silently lowered his blade.

Only for it to suddenly disappear.

“Nonsense. I’m not taking anything from random strangers.”

Matuzo was unimpressed and understandably furious.

His hand now held a strange looking book. He opened it and a sudden burst of golden flames surrounded the villagers.

“Matuzo!? What do you think you’re doing!?”

Rena grabbed onto him and looked ready to tear his head off.

“Calm down. The cursed flames of Degir only burn those I deem as enemies. Look.”

The bandits that were caught in the sudden outburst of these flames were rolling on the ground trying to stifle them.

The blindfolded villagers seemed shocked by the sudden uproar but otherwise unharmed. It seemed they didn’t even notice the flames.

The Demonic Beast beneath the boy let out viscous cries of pain and torment.

“Magego!! Damnit!!”

The Chief Bandit was furious at the current outcome of events.

Meanwhile, Rena began to notice something strange about the flames.

“You only managed to cover some of them in those flames. What about the rest?”

“No. I covered all of them.”

“What?”

“To begin with, this whole thing was a farce…”

As he said that, the light in his eyes furiously shifted from a halo ring to a white spiral with two streaking tails.

He had entered his Final State.

Matuzo raised his hands as a furious burst of white aura washed through the area.

It revealed the unfiltered truth of the situation.

The other villagers that they had been seeing up until now were mere illusionary mist.

Every single one of his allies could now see what he saw.

The burnt remains of what were once simple villagers decorated the numerous stakes that lay before them.

“Although, I suppose he wasn’t actually lying. He just didn’t mention the fact that killing an equivalent number of hostages for every demonic beast was the same as killing all of them.”

“Matuzo, what’s the meaning of this?” The mercenary leader asked.

“The flames surrounding the villagers will keep them safe. Don’t falter. We’re taking them all down!!”

Now that the ruse was revealed so easily, the Chief Bandit couldn’t help but laugh.

“Amazing!! You managed to see through my little trick. It’s a shame we couldn’t play our little game. But what of it…”

A strange crow with a white belly soon descended upon the Chief Bandits' shoulder.

Its eyes shining with a lilac glow.

“Kaw!!(They’re ready. I’m sending them over.)”

“Do you think that this changes anything?! You’re all still going to die here!!”

Suddenly, ten more demonic beasts that were far larger than those they’ve been facing, descended upon the battlefield with an earth-shattering boom.

They were accompanied by nine, six-meter-tall humanoid figures with impressive horns coming out of their heads.

“To think they’d have ogres from the Western province with them.”

“They’re easily twice the size of regular ones. And don’t ogres hate witches?”

“Ogres hate people in general. No thanks to witches. They’re likely being mind-controlled. No matter. We’re going all out. Spirit Weapon and all.”

“Yeah!!”

The members of the Odd Jobs Guild steeled their resolve as they rushed into a chaotic battle that made the very ground tremble.