Chapter 51
This way, the Tengu clan did not have to travel far, instead of exiting the Karatengu territory; they could just use one of the lakes within the territory and wait until the portals open at the right time.
None knew what to expect from the Second Trial, but everyone hoped it was not as bad as the last one.
The ones who were partic.i.p.ating from Tengu clan were: Ren, Orin, Akjan, Sukesir, Sirinke, Karli, Toro, Aijasyl, Shaula, Kizilkoz, Lowa, and Gema. Considering the first trial ended up with Aron, Lecro, Rona, Quo, Riosa, and Mara getting killed, several demons who partic.i.p.ated in the first trial chose to not to partic.i.p.ate. Trial could mean difference between life and death, and many were too scared to face their end.
Among the demons that chose to stay behind despite being qualified to partic.i.p.ate were: Neer, Maro, and Shara. None blamed them for staying behind, everyone understood that lives were at stake, if they knew that they would not be able to succeed, then it was wiser for them to stay behind and work on fields, at least that way they can contribute, even if just a little. Among Tengu clanners, they were not viewed as cowards, still the three that quit felt as though they have betrayed their young master's hopes.
They could only marvel at the bravery of those who chose to continue, and most of all with the confidence of their leader, Ren Karatengu, who was walking forward with a beaming smile on his face while crying out 'Off We Go!' with boldness worthy of a leader. He really was something else.
Each of the Tengu clan members partic.i.p.ating was given supplies and weapons to use during the Second Trial. Armed to their teeth, each one had provisions, food, water, and emergency supplies within their Orin-Yakit crystals.
Korgan personally made sure to give Ren many bottles filled with different types of elemental mana, storing them in Orin-Yakit crystal embedded within a small ring. Ren personally requested to use a ring instead of a necklace because the necklace felt rather uncomfortable to wear and often left marks on his neck when he slept.
Ren stored many things within the pocket dimension of Orin-Yakit crystal, many of which were questionable, to say the least….including, but not limited to: rusty wok, oily ropes, spatula, gardening soil, and edible dirt.
After giving his blessing to Ren, and telling his grandson that he believed in him, Korgan watched as Ren made final preparations before going towards the portal that lead to the Second Trial.
Sending off his last descendant like this was truly heartbreaking, but Korgan knew that he should not stand between Ren and his ambitions. Korgan thought of Ren as someone who wanted to rise the unknown heights, but he was still concerned about what could happen to him. But, the only thing Korgan could do now was believe in him.
Before he left, Ren entrusted Sento Draco with a bluish white, faceted diamond, that contained a once all-powerful deity, Serena, G.o.ddess of humanity within it. But now, she had been reduced into a household cleaning tool.
"In three days, the lizard demons will need to use her to scrub their dead scales off, and she can also be used to purify water, and she is surprisingly effective at being an insect repellant…" Ren told Sento about many uses he found for the G.o.ddess within the diamond. At first, when Ren began using her, she was screaming all the while he used her, but by now, anyone who held the diamond could only hear her sobbing within it.
She no longer even attempted to get the demon holding the diamond to free her, she already gave up on it long time ago. Serena earned herself a nickname of a Sobbing Stone by the demons who heard her wails.
"…And I also tried using her for gutting fish, and what do you know, the fish will no longer smell bad! This thing is the greatest tool I have ever used; normally I am the one who keeps track of its usage to make sure not to lose such a valuable cleaning tool, so make sure to use her well and wisely. Make sure not to lose her, ok?"
"Of course, young master. I am honored you are entrusting me with the fate of the G.o.ddess who had once sealed me away and tormented me for countless years. This Sento is most grateful."
Sento bowed to Ren. He found the entire situation to be rather amusing.
Apparently in his mind, Sento thought that by entrusting Serena to Sento, Ren was telling him that as long as Serena remains within the diamond, it was up to Sento to make sure she does not escape and torment her by reducing a once a mighty deity to a cleaning tool used by demons.
Ren went as far as to use her to scrub toilets clean, which without a doubt, to a G.o.ddess, was a traumatic experience.
It got to the point that the only coherent words the diamond would say were 'Must Clean', repeatedly.
Young Master is merciless to his enemies, even if they are G.o.ds. So young, yet so fearless… I was right to choose to serve him after all! This kind of revenge against Serena is better than anything I could ever dream of!
What Sento did not realize is that Ren did not comprehend what a G.o.d or a deity was, instead he thought of the diamond as a multi-purpose tool that just happened to have consciousness. As far as he was concerned, if it cleans well, he would use it, even if the diamond is sobbing hysterically while he is doing so.
Orin, after training hard with Sento, became a high tier Copper Rank demon, just a few steps away from becoming an Iron Rank demon. Sento taught him not to over rely on his horns, but to instead use the mana within his body, thus now his abilities were enhanced to a new level.
Under Sento's guidance, Orin found out he had affinity for fire, wind, and earth type elements, but while he did learn the basics, he was still weak at using them individually, instead preferring to use explosion which was essentially Orin unconsciously combining Fire and wind elements. But it was obvious that he came very far from the uncontrollable explosion user who relied solely on his horn magic.
Akjan had trained as well, when she just entered Tengu clan months ago, she was weakened and malnourished Bra.s.s rank demon, but by
By the time she fought against Nar Kas, she was already a Copper rank demon, and afterwards, for the sake of her beloved, she grew stronger, so that she will never be a burden to him again. Now she was an Iron ranked demon, and unbeknownst to her, one of the stronger ones within Tengu clan's partic.i.p.ants.
Out of the lizard demons, Sukesir and Sirinke were the ones who chose to partic.i.p.ate, Sirinke, in particular would tell tales of how Ren chose to save him instead of abandoning him like any normal demon would under the circ.u.mstances they ended up in. Ren's reputation among Tengu clan members, especially Lizard demons, had become almost legendary, to the point that they think of him as the demonic savior.
In a sense, it was true, he did give those demons homes, and saved them from potentially losing their lives as victims of other demon clans who would have exterminated them on the spot, still, their belief and devotion to him was almost fanatic. Many of his feats were spoken of as heroic tales of their wonderful leader whose bravery and wisdom exceeded imagination.
With his prodigious strength and wisdom that was well beyond his years, Tengu clan had no doubt that Ren Karatengu would lead them to a bright future.
He was a wise and powerful demon whose goal was to become a Demon King, with a leader like that, they needed not be scared.
Such a warped perception of their leader made almost everyone ignorant of a single crucial fact- Ren was the weakest demon, physically or ability wise within his entire clan. Only one demon seemed to have realized this truth, the others were either too ignorant or believed too strongly in their leader's intelligence.
Ren on the other hand was not aware of what everyone a.s.sumed his ambition was, the only reason he was partic.i.p.ating was because Master Korgan told him that in order to achieve his goals he needed to partic.i.p.ate in the Trials.
He wasn't sure how the Trials would help with his garden or his culinary ability, but he chose to take his grandfather's word for it.
And the other reason was that he was merely following the other Tengu clan members who were eager to partic.i.p.ate, wondering, what could have motivated them so much to want to partic.i.p.ated in the Trials?
Others partic.i.p.ating from Tengu clan were Karli, who chose to partic.i.p.ate to show her worth to Ren, so that her brother, who could not partic.i.p.ate in the Second Trial due to not being qualified, would not be deemed worthless. She was scared that if Ren thought of Korkau as useless, then he would discard him. Karli knew after sleeping together with Ren, that he wouldn't kill her, he wanted her as his concubine, to bear his children, and so until then she would be alive. But now, she had to prove her worth and by extension, her brother's worth in Ren's eyes.
Aijasyl, Ren's mentor in pretty much everything; calligraphy, history, martial arts, arithmetic, and anything else necessary for him to lead the clan, chose to partic.i.p.ate as well. As good as Ren was as a leader, he was surprisingly unintelligent when it comes to higher thinking. She currently was a copper ranked demon, not very powerful, but stronger than average.
At first, Aijasyl was of the same mindset as Shaula, seeing Ren as good for nothing, but after a certain market incident, she saw Ren for who he truly was, a brave and gallant demon who faced off against a mighty Altyn clan demon without hesitation and triumphed. There, she realized, there was so much more to Ren than meets the eye. Ever since then, she was not as harsh on him, instead she was more tolerant, and her more gentle approach towards his daily lessons made him absorb more information much faster.
He may be book dumb, but he is no fool. He knows exactly what he is doing.
As for Shaula, she was the only one who knew that Ren was not the perfect leader everyone thought he was, not even close. But her words fell on deaf ears, and eventually she had to accept the fact that while Ren is not the leader Tengu clan deserves, but the demon it needs. Everyone has such high hopes on him, the future of Tengu clan, the many demons under its banner, Master Korgan's legacy, all was at stake.
The reason she chose to partic.i.p.ate was due to her duty, her obligation to Tengu clan, even though, unlike Ren, who was a direct descendant, she was only distantly related to Karatengu clan, but she was still a member of former branch family of Karatengu clan, the Tengu clan. In fact, she is the only demon in Tengu clan who could be considered a branch family member of Karatengu clan, even if it was a very distant relation. One goal she has is to make sure her clan survived and prospered, and to that end, ensuring that idiot demon's safety is of utmost importance.
She had no ambition for the throne, she didn't know whether rumors of Ren wanting the throne were true or not, most likely false, in her mind, she could not imagine someone as foolish as him having such grand ambition. But even so, he is partic.i.p.ating in the trials, which means he would be exposed to danger, she needed to make sure he lived. The survival of Tengu clan depended on it.
Still, why our leader had to be as someone as incompetent as him….
Driven by vengeance, Kizilkoz forged countless weapons to use during the Second Trial. She was tricked by the demon she was supposed to kill into serving him instead. No matter how much she wanted, she could not break the contact, it would kill her. The contract forced her to be loyal to him until they reach the final trial.
As much as she hated Ren, she held no grudge against the other Tengu clan members, as far as she knew, they were tricked by him as well, and unlike him, they were innocent. Kizilkoz will have to count on them if she hoped to be able to survive the Second Trial, which is why, she had many weapons to make sure her allies are safe, who in turn have her back as well.
She needed the support of Tengu clan, for now, but when the time comes, if they get in the way of her revenge, she will kill them without a second thought. Currently she was a Copper ranked demon on the verge of becoming Iron ranked demon, she knew she could get much stronger until the final trial.
As for Toro, Lowa, and Gema, Ren was not too familiar with them, but it was obvious each one was a brave demon. Toro was some kind of a feline demon, most likely a panther type, but he was of mixed blood, so the most dominant trait was that of a dark feline. Lowa was a demon with a very long tail, apparently a yellow racc.o.o.n type demon. As for Gema, she was a bird type demon, with wings on her back and a bird tail, with bluish feathers; she specialized in magic and flight.
With the entirety of Tengu clan partic.i.p.ants arriving at the lake within Karatengu clan's territory, they waited a short while before the sunrise.
As the three suns started to rise, the changes began to occur within the lake. Many doors, seemingly made of water started to emerge. They looked like doors, but it was obvious that they were portals towards the grounds of the Second Trial.
Not much of a doorway, but swirling gates of water in shapes of doors.
Every demon was hesitant, none knew what was ahead.
None would budge, except one…
"Banzai!" With a shout that could be misinterpreted as a call of bravery, Ren senselessly jumped into the portal.
Seeing their leader's unhesitant approach, the other Tengu clan partic.i.p.ants followed the suit.
Each one entered one of the water gates, knowing full well that they led to the same place; at least they hoped they did, just like the First Trial.
After the last Tengu clan demon entered, the water gates dissolved, fading into the lake, making it seem as if there was nothing there to begin with.
* * *
She had to do this.
There was no other choice.
Even if she does not possess the qualifications, she must partic.i.p.ate in the Second Trial. That was the only chance she had of catching him off guard, when he is not protected by the barrier of Karatengu clan's territory. The Barrier used to repel only Phoenix type demons, but it was reinforced; now it repels anyone who is not a member of Tengu clan. She could not sneak in and a.s.sa.s.sinate him.
Her only chance of killing him would be during Second Trial.
She knew she was making a big taboo, but to her, it did not matter.
All that mattered was her vengeance against the demon who took everything away from her.
Karatengu Ren.
When the portal appeared within a body of water, she used her ability, Travel by Water, to synchronize with the portal, using it; she proceeded to enter the portal, transporting her into the realm of the Second Trial.
She did not know yet what her actions have brought upon all the ones who partic.i.p.ated in the Second Trial.
* * *
"Too bad I cannot go." Korkau muttered.
It was raining, so he was inside one of the houses, in the company of two Demon Lords, who he addressed as honorable elders. Korkau, if anything, respected power and strength, and for demon kind, Demon Lords embody such principles. Addressing them with respect is a given.
"Unfortunately, those who don't have qualification are not allowed to enter the subsequent trials, for their own good." Master Korgan solemnly replied.
"Honorable elder, what do you mean for their own good? Aren't the Great Ones there to make sure that only the demons who qualify can enter?"
"No, if only it was as simple as that. There are too many partic.i.p.ants to keep track of, Great Ones cannot check each one whether they are qualified or not. By their own good, I mean that only if the qualified partic.i.p.ants enter the portals, can all the partic.i.p.ants get to the trial grounds safely." Master Korgan explained.
"If someone who is not qualified enters, then it would disrupt the portals for everyone partic.i.p.ating, they will get to the Second Trial grounds, all right, but there will no longer be a guarantee they will arrive safely or even survive landing." Sento's eyes squinted a little as he expressed his cringe.
"Wait! Does that mean there were demons in the past who partic.i.p.ated in the trials without being qualified?"
"Many. Foolish demons who disregarded everyone, including themselves. It always leads to tragedy involving ma.s.s casualties. The trial grounds for each trial are by far not safe, but when done properly, the partic.i.p.ants land on a safe starting point. However, if an unqualified individual partic.i.p.ates, then all of the partic.i.p.ants will be transported to random places on trial grounds, many will lose their lives if that happens, there were cases where demons were transported into the heart of a volcano, only to be cooked to crisp." Korgan's words made Korkau a little on the edge.
"I see; then it is a good thing I stayed behind."
"Indeed, otherwise, you would have not only endangered yourself, but everyone else as well."
Master Korgan proceeded to fill cups full of Ot-Susin for Sento and Korkau, not realizing just how right he was about what was about to occur.