Tsukiyama moved the knight to where it threatened Metsuhai's bishop. Metsuhai hurriedly moved the bishop to another square. "You are rushing with your responses. With your king exposed like this, the game will end in no time."
Metsuhai peeked at Tsukiyama's empty tea cup. It was very early in the morning and Roteah was still sleeping. I am waiting no more. "I know I agreed to your conditions yesterday but this doesn't make sense. They are doing horrible things to her and we are playing chess!"
Metsuhai was referring to last night.
…
"…Lets go to Inferno together." For a moment Metsuhai didn't believe his own luck. He was overjoyed, overflowing with hope.
"Thank you sensei, I don't know how I could ever repay you."
"Don't mention it. My hands were itching for a fight for a while now. First tell me exactly what you saw. All the details about her abduction."
Metsuhai told Tsukiyama about his desperate chase after Vardalac. He spoke in a monotone, emotionless voice, trying not to reveal how powerless and ashamed that story made him feel.
"I see. Don't worry, well save her or die trying, however I'm in charge of this operation so we'll do it my way. Now the first thing you do… go to sleep!"
"What?!"
"You heard me. Go to sleep now. You need to be fresh for the operation tomorrow. Believe me, you will remember this rest. We will move forward with our plan in the morning."
It took Metsuhai long hours to finally fall asleep.
…
"On the contrary. We are at the most crucial and important phase of the mission- the planning. Check!…"
Metsuhai just couldn't force himself to care about the state of the board. He made the first move coming to mind.
"…First I want to clarify some things. Initially I thought Vardalac used his vampiric powers to charm Chizue to make the kidnapping go smoothly. His abilities to subjugate are overwhelm strong against women. But by your description this is something else. I am guessing you wouldn't know about it, but Chizue must have managed to consume 'The Last Resort'. You probably heard about cyanide pills?"
Metsuhai simply nodded though he didn't get where this was all going. Some strong warriors with particularly patriotic tendencies kept on themselves a deadly poison pill to end their lives if ever taken captive. Some statues of heroes were dedicated to fighters whose lives ended this way.
"Well, as you can imagine. Chizue Arisu and others like her, who are considered irreplaceable won't do such a thing. However the possibility of being captured, and let's say be tortured for information still needed addressing. So some nobles and high- commanders use The Last Resort instead. A powerful magical sleeping pill. Once consumed, it is impossible to wake up for a month or so. You should know, that someone who is both strong enough to duel and important in the chain of command is extremely hard to take alive. Furthermore the implied calculation was that the hungry demons couldn't hold back for a whole month and will eat the captive if it ever comes to that. Usually this works. So Chizue instead of… let's say getting thoroughly interrogated will die a painless death. But the situation here is a bit different. Chizue was specifically taken to perform a ritual duel. Someone high up clearly arranged the entire operation."
"So she isn't being tortured right now?" Metsuhai couldn't stop himself and even interrupted his sensei.
"Most likely not just yet."
Then there really is still hope. A month is a long time. Metsuhai's eyes teared up. One tear of joy streamed down his face. He rushed to wipe it. Tsukiyama pretended not to have noticed.
"The implications are the following- first, unless the enemy seriously messed up, Chizue is still alive. Second, they will not torture her, risking to ruin her ability to duel and thus the entire plan. By the way, while sleeping like this, she can't feel pain. Three, they cannot ritual duel her until she wakes up. They wouldn't try to break the sleeping spell either- knowing if they mess up she dies. In conclusion, we have about one month to get her back. If we linger and come too late, then we lost. Let all that sink in before we move forward with our battle plan."
Metsuhai leaned back in his chair and breathed out in relief. Frankly the situation was still horrible, but compared to what Metsuhai imagined a couple of minutes earlier everything seemed promising. Metsuhai sat back normally and there was fire in his eyes.
"The first matter we must consider is the environment. The Inferno realm will not be hospitable to us, no, more precisely it will be hostile. There is no food there for us. No water to drink. Demon meat is toxic, not to mention the blood. We will take provisions. Preferably we will get Chizue and get out as fast as possible, but we don't really know how long it will take. We will pack enough water and salted bread for more than a month and only eat the smallest portions, just enough to keep us going. The salt of course is meant to keep the bread edible longer."
"Sensei, I was under the impression you had no difficulty summoning food using sorcery." Even I can summon disgusting stale bread with enough effort.
"I will not always be there for you. What if I get hurt? We could get separated. In all my long life I have never been in the inferno. I don't know how magic works there. There could be complications, especially when it comes to complex magic such as food creation. Though I expect our attack spells to work just fine."
"Understood." Keeping food in my shrinking backpack is not a problem, though the small doses are terrible for the fighting spirit.
"Next topic to address. Before we begin you must bathe and put on a powerful odorless deodorant. As you know, most demons find their pray by smell. This way it will be harder to find you. It will spare us lots of unnecessary battles."
Tsukiyama sensei really thought this throow.
"Okay. Next problem is finding Chizue's location. The dimensions conserve continuity but simply crossing from the same place as her…"
"They what?"
"Ah, sorry, I'll explain a bit. What I mean is, if we cross dimensions from somewhere close to where she crossed, we will end up close to where she appeared on the other side. But unfortunately we should definitely assume they moved her to a secure, well-guarded area. Since they intend to have her duel, it's likely a demon lord will be close by, too. I am warning you, do not engage a demon lord under any circumstances."
I really wouldn't stand a chance there without sensei…
"As you probably know, the Inferno realm is huge. They have brutally conquered more than twenty dimensions, transforming each and every one of them to become another Inferno. Then in the end they integrate the subjugated new barren wasteland, merging it with theirs. So if we don't know where to go, we will be wondering there forever, and Chizue will be gone. Lucky for us I have a solution."
Tsukiyama drew out of his pocket a small old- looking golden compass on a chain that looked as if taken right out of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. "I received it on my tenth birthday. Not even I can create one of those. Once held, it will point to the very thing a person desires most. As long as you love Chizue, as long as you care of what happens to her, you will know where to go. However if your will wavers, the compass will be useless."
Tsukiyama placed the compass in Metsuhai's hands. The pointer began spinning wildly. Metsuhai understood immediately the compass would only start working once they are in the right dimension. "I won't lose my resolve, not today, not ever."
"With that we have the theoretical ability to find her. About going back… Dimensional travel is generally quite complicated. Furthermore, with the barrier which protects us from annihilation opening the gateway from that side becomes even much harder. Although it primarily stops demons, strong ones in particular, it can interfere with our way back too. So, I'll be in charge of transporting us there and especially back. But in case I'll be unable to do it for some reason…"
Tsukiyama gave Metsuhai three small gemstones. One lemon colored. The second one rose colored, and the third turquoise.
"These are more unique than meets the eye. Using one will in theory perfectly open the gateway for you. It somewhat bypasses the barrier, though if you are unlucky and the barrier is at relative full force it will fail. Be aware that when you open the gate, demons might cross with you, well, probably not someone stronger than B."
I get the feeling that if the order knew about these gems they'd want to destroy them.
"Hopefully you won't need to use them. If you do. Most likely one will do. We are being extra careful. To use one, simply burn it."
I guess it's a very simple sacrifice ritual.
"Now that we went over the basics, let's not keep them waiting!" Tsukiyama's hands were shaking from excitement. Metsuhai had never seen him like that before.
…
Metsuhai and Tsukiyama stood right where Chizue was taken. It was an easy task for Metsuhai to lead Tsukiyama here. Metsuhai was fully geared up, including the three gemstones and most importantly the old golden compass on the inner side of his belt.
Tsukiyama's expression was now completely impossible to read. But from the little Metsuhai knew about him, Tsukiyama was lusting for battle. He was overexcited for his upcoming mission. "One last thing, if you need to power up on the other side, and I am convinced that you will, use sorcery or basic energy power-up. Do not use faith magic. It will be like lighting a torch in a dark cave. A beacon that will draw every demon to you from miles away. Only do it if you are completely cornered… listen I in a way regret this. You are not ready for what is to come."
Tsukiyama delivered a hit in the air with his open palm releasing but a small quantity of power. At first nothing happened. Then it began. Hot wind blowing from where Tsukiyama's power seemed to disappear - the center of where it was opening. Similarly to Vardalac's doing, red-crimson rift looking like a vertical shark's mouth began to open up. Beyond the gate everything was red. It really looked evil. Tsukiyama walked in without hesitation. Metsuhai rushed to follow.
Metsuhai and Tsukiyama stood atop of a hill made of red rock. The mean- looking dimensional gate closed shut behind their backs. Metsuhai slowly looked around. The sky had the same disturbing red color everywhere, just like in the Armageddon Championship. Not a single cloud in the sky. High up stood three orange suns. Generally orange was a color Metsuhai considered pretty. But these suns were ugly, like stains in existence. In many directions around the hill flowed lava- rivers. Some more dark and slow flowing, while others hotter, brighter, and more liquid like, sometimes moving significantly faster. There were even lava-falls descending into lakes. On the horizon massive volcanos were constantly erupting, pouring flows of lava and releasing huge clouds of smoke into the sky. Sharp red lifeless cliffs, extending up as if cutting into the sky were everywhere. And even much further a grey diagonally tilted stone obelisk designed in brutalistic style loomed over the burning wasteland.
Metsuhai took a deep breath – it felt like his lungs were on fire. Metsuhai held his chest, coughing. He sent a desperate look at Tsukiyama. "Endure it." Tsukiyama seemed to be just fine, looking to the distance. "The air here is toxic for humans, deadly really. But we can adjust to it. Better deal with this from the start rather than use temporary solutions which will fail us in time."
Metsuhai nodded. Though it felt horrible, within less than a minute it was already bearable. However the air was not the only problem. Metsuhai's ears made a strange sound when he moved his head. It felt as if water was shoved into his ears under pressure. Also, his body was heavier, as if thirty kilos were placed on his back.
"What you feel now was expected. The gravity and atmospheric pressure here are significantly stronger. Don't worry about this too much. Prepare yourself, the geography here is hard because the lava flows are ever changing and hard to predict. Now draw out your compass."
Metsuhai took out the compass, focusing on Chizue. The pointer immediately stabilized showing Metsuhai where to go. It pointed to a random direction no different from any other. Metsuhai gestured with his finger, thus letting Tsukiyama know where they are headed.
"Good. It's not leading us to the tower, there we would most likely find only death. Stay away from it. That is the central dark academy, where the dark army trains their troops. There are millions upon millions of demons in there. You may not see it yet, but it's actually very far and incredibly huge."
Metsuhai didn't even consider going anywhere except where the compass pointed to. The two men began climbing down the red stone hill. The hill was not meant to be climbed on, steep and with many sharp edges. At least it wasn't slippery. I knew it's going to be hot here, but this is a lot worse than I expected. By the time Metsuhai and Tsukiyama descended from the hill into the red sand wasteland below Metsuhai was drenched with sweat. Metsuhai pulled out from his backpack (he didn't even need to enlarge the backpack to its true size for this) a bottle of water. Tsukiyama, who did not seem to be suffering from the heat, narrowed his eyes slightly. I know sensei, we must conserve. But I must drink at least a bit. Metsuhai allowed himself two tiny sips of water before returning the bottle in. It was quite difficult to stop himself from emptying it all.
"Hmm… It seems we might have been spotted when we entered," Tsukiyama spoke in a casual voice, "prepare yourself, they are coming."
Metsuhai realized he was so preoccupied with the gravity, atmosphere, the climbing and the heat he wasn't paying attention to his senses. However, now when he tried, it only made matters worse. It feels like the Armageddon Championship, no, worse. It feels as if demons are everywhere, as if I am swimming in demon blood. This entire dimension reeks of evil. I can't sense a thing!
Metsuhai drew his sword and took his fighting stance, looking to the same direction Tsukiyama was. Maybe I should stand back to back with him, I hope he won't figure out I can't sense them.
The crushers advanced fast, moving like a pack of beasts. They traversed the traitorous, hot red sand with ease, like there was nothing to it. One of the crushers at the head of the group raised a red muscular arm raising his fist high up, roaring. Roars of acknowledgment followed from all the others. They picked up the pace of their already fast advance, gradually turning it into an all-out charge.
Metsuhai counter- charged, cutting three of them one after the other, his sword instantly died red. The slashes indeed inflicted deep wounds, but it wasn't the dismembering effect Metsuhai was so used to. Sensei Tsukiyama wasn't exaggerating, crushers and probably other kinds of demons are ten times as strong here. Home-field advantage. A crusher flew back ten meters, crossing Metsuhai's sightline, roaring in pain and anger. Sensei is on the job. A powerful crusher's fist was stopped on Metsuhai's shield. That crusher released a whole series of punches.
Metsuhai was distracted for a mere second when a crusher body- slammed him from high up, pinning Metsuhai to the ground. This speed and strength! The blow was devastating. This is the worst position to be in. there is no point wrestling a crusher. Magic? I don't have enough time. The crushers will tear me to pieces. I have to push him off now!
Metsuhai struggled with the crusher for a moment. I can't do it, I won't push him off in time!
Tsukiyama's chain (the one ending with the small blade) wrapped around the crushers neck, flinging him off the ground with all its length. Next thing the crusher knew, he found himself 30 meters in the air. Soon after that came the lightning, passing through the chain, and inevitably into the crusher. Tsukiyama finished the exchange by slamming the already badly hurt crusher into the sharp rocks so hard they broke.
Metsuhai wiped off his sweat from his forehead. Thank goodness Tsukiyama is here…
Three crushers leapt on Tsukiyama from three directions, trying to bring him down. They were on him, pushing down on him with their combined weight. Oh no!
What happened next Metsuhai couldn't immediately explain. The crushers were torn to pieces and Tsukiyama was back on his feet. I couldn't have done it even with the sword.
Metsuhai began attacking again with no fear, though he made sure to be precise and methodical, not giving the crushers another opening. In no time, he adjusted to the battle conditions, finding his rhythm. The crushers began to lose their fighting spirit. Metsuhai knew he should better concentrate on his fighting, but his curiosity got the better of him. He couldn't figure out Tsukiyama's moves, who destroyed crushers while barely touching them. Only when using True Sight Metsuhai saw the strange energy around Tsukiyama's fists, the like of which he had never seen before. It looked a bit like a yellow flame, but more so as if he was welding metal. As he watched, Tsukiyama moved in speed Metsuhai witnessed only in the light- speed time- acceleration, tearing through the rest of the crushers, and thus ending the fight.
…
Goh walked slowly on the palace floor, his steps heavy like his heart. The two guards at the sides of the entrance to his private quarters sharply saluted as soon as they saw him. Goh ignored them until he was near the entrance. "I am not to be disturbed, unless a Red Alert is declared."
"Yes sir!" the two answered unanimously. Goh closed the heavy steel door behind him. Unlike on an ordinary day, Goh didn't go straight forward to his bedroom. He turned right. He knew exactly where he was going, but refused to think about it until he gets there. Instead he pondered and recalled the details from the final war- room meeting he just finished conducting. Is there something we missed? Anything more we can do to improve our dire chances?
Goh made his way through a long, somewhat dark hallway. "We already announced Orange Alert to all troops," Stated General Gold, "The high commanders are finished with the preparation for the invasion. The more experienced soldiers are already guessing what's coming. The less experienced ones actually have higher moral at the moment, despite us announcing the cancelation of their vacations in the next two months."
This was all as expected. Many warriors were also positioned in 'massive long training field exercises', essentially armies ready to be deployed in short notice.
"The future tellers, the barrier research team, and the intelligence agency are overworking, doing double shifts. No way we'll miss the moment of assault," reassured Counsellor Urigami, minister of emergencies, "I am personally responsible for their continuous work."
If only they foresaw Chizue's fate…
"The forts are all in perfect condition," reported General Nekamanov, "The evacuation protocol briefing instructions were delivered to the commanders on site. Other emergency protocols are all in effect. Most importantly, the explosives were successfully installed in all nuclear silos."
Goh sighed. These desperate yet necessary measures were things Goh hoped never to discuss in his lifetime. Goh's destination was in sight as he remembered the end of the meeting. They were on the topic of key individuals, with the last one annoyingly unaccounted for.
"I am sorry to inform, sir, that the Mordon Destroyer is nowhere to be found," apologized General Gold, "His personal commander lost contact with him yesterday. I believe they had an argument."
"Find him, get the bastard here!" Goh practically shouted. We need to position him in the southern front. The soldiers see him as a symbol. For them, he represents everything we stand for.
"This meeting is adjourned. I will now go to mourn my daughter."
Goh opened a door on the side. It led to a small private room which was lit only by two rows of candles. Aside from a wide comfortable wooden chair the small room contained only one item. Three meters tall and rather wide, an hourglass filled with constantly flowing sand. Unlike a typical hourglass, the sand didn't simply flow down. Part of it was actually moving upwards. The movement was unpredictable but never stopping and always to both directions. However, there was much more sand at the bottom. The amount of sand at the top was hardly a third from the big pile at the bottom. In the middle of the top section of the hourglass, formed from bright white light, was the number 4. Similarly placed at the bottom, clearly visible through the sand was the number 8, made of fire.
Goh finally thought about Chizue, sitting down. The memories from his beloved daughter, which always gave him joy, now tormented him. He remembered the first time he saw her smile. The first time she walked. How she ran around in the castle. How she listened to his war stories. How she first put on her armor…
Oh, where did I go wrong? Should I have been stricter? I could have forbidden her from going…
Goh still remembered how furious he was the day Chizue tricked him to allow her to go to fight. He was just giving a speech to a large crowd of recruits and noblemen, praising the devotion of fighters. "…many of you may want to rise in ranks and get promoted. Some might even have big dreams of a successful military career, of how far you'll get in life. But as important as it is, your calling here is greater… Though I like my current job a lot… (A small wave of laughter went through the crowd) the one most noble and worthy thing to do is definitely to be the usual soldier getting the job done, making the deference on the front line! Never forget that, warriors of the order."
"Thank you father for the inspiring words," Chizue spoke up just at the perfect time, just as the warriors finished saluting and the nobles clapping. "Though I am still young and lack training I know now what must be done. Just like brother Yamato I shall too do my modest contribution to the order on the front."
I was so shocked and caught off guard at the time I didn't reject her immediately. It would have looked bad, too… Later I told myself she wouldn't endure the training. I made sure to approach an old friend, Shahukov, whom I knew to be a merciless unforgiving trainer unlike any other. But that turned out to be a huge miscalculation… Shahukov became soft over the years, and Chizue endured the training, making her resolve even stronger.
And now I am here, waiting for her to die. I am a failure both as a general and as a father… Chizue, please give in fast.
…
The heat was unpleasantly well- felt. Metsuhai led the way, holding the compass, his feet sinking in the red sand again and again. It was like the sand tried to eat him. As if it knew he didn't belong here, thus rejecting him. Tsukiyama followed Metsuhai, seemingly perfectly calm and unaffected by the hostile atmosphere, as if he was simply taking a stroll on the beach.
The two had been walking for a while and except for concealing their presence (Metsuhai knew how to do it by now, even if only the basics) It's hard to say they were sneaking. Tsukiyama's superior senses had allowed them to avoid several large groups of enemies without veering off course too much. Metsuhai also began grasping the various energies around him despite the constant pressure of this red evil world. Still, this was a far cry from his Earthly sensing abilities, so he left all the sensing to his sensei.
Metsuhai's only real job was to keep thinking of Chizue. This wasn't hard. On the other hand, he really wanted to get his mind off of thinking about how the Inferno was messing with his head. Not so far, Metsuhai noticed they were approaching a red stone plane and rejoiced. Though calling it a plane was probably an exaggeration. It was a spiky uninviting shore of a wide fast-flowing lava river emanating heat.
"So sensei, what exactly did you do to those crushers?"
"Some techniques are so strong and dangerous that are kept as a secret of secrets. Ancient masters would defend them with their lives. The barrier is one of them, perhaps the greatest. Though parts of the barriers' secrets did slip away with the passage of time. Welding Hands is another. I developed it myself. I will teach you this one day, maybe. Talk to me of this again when you see yourself worthy."
Finally, solid ground. Metsuhai couldn't even take more than a few steps before stopping in place. No! What the… It felt like a mountain was put on his back. Like his whole body was about to be torn to pieces, squashed and burned to a crisp. It was a boundless level of power. Metsuhai instinctively looked at Tsukiyama. This was the first time the calm and always optimistic Tsukiyama had a very serious expression.
"Metsuhai, run, now!"
"No sensei, we have to fight him together! I want to fight by your side!"
Angry Tsukiyama didn't have time to answer. Four crushers with unusually high energy levels made the way up the red hill where Tsukiyama and Metsuhai now stood. And what followed behind them was hundred times worse. A huge round, red demon the size of a bus. Though he had a head, two arms and two legs one could not mistake him for a human (even ignoring the size). Compared to his massive round body his arms were short, though remarkably wide. His legs were ridiculously small compared to his proportions but carried his incredible weight with ease. He was wearing a thick rusty looking armor on everything but his head and neck. He had two sinister red eyes similar to those of a crock, no nose, and a mouth with many small but sharp teeth. His skin was wrinkled like of a very old man. On top of his head his two bent upwards horns were white, made of solid bone. In his right hand was an enormous battle-axe. He was dwarfing the crushers.
"Metsuhai, this is not a request. If you have a drop of respect for me, if you have any intention of saving Chizue from this hell, run and don't look back."
Metsuhai ran. He ran as fast as he possibly could. Sensei, you now face a demon lord because of me. And I am sorry, this monster's energy is at least ten times your own. I don't see how you could possibly win.