Six Warriors

Triumph of Heroism - (Jack)

Outside the place, when Jack was getting ready to go to who knows where, since he had no place to go back, Yoku called him.

"Those were nice words Jack, but some people, like Osamu, can't be convinced by just a speech, action is needed."

"I know that," Jack replied, "I'll do whatever it takes to stop him!"

"But like I said, if you face him alone, you're going to die. Come, follow me."

Jack followed Yoku to the other village, which was on the outskirts too. They entered a house and immediately Jack saw a familiar face.

"T-Thea!" Jack exclaimed upon seeing the girl, who also looked impressed, but a little less so.

"Jack!" She smiled and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, "I was worried about you, cake face. Jeremy and Kaia are here too. Come on."

Jack was then reunited with his team, even though he wasn't quite sure what had happened or how they were there. Jack was glad he wasn't alone.

"Rumors travel fast, we have heard of a fool who dared to face the Blood Katana." Jeremy was carefree, "luckily we don't get separated that much."

"What happened…I just remember…" Jack babbled, trying to remember.

"Don't force your mind too hard, Jack. It was the first time you took a trip through the Perennial Gate and such a thing happens..." Thea said to Jack with some affection, touching his shoulder.

"We were getting ready to go through the gate" Jeremy said, "everything was going according to plan. That girl, Gwendy, gave us the last details of the mission and that the parchment should be in this region when we were going through the gate. However, something very strange happened...the passageway started to have some kind of breakdown. I wasn't getting it right, it never happened, you know, when we went through the Perennial Gate we came out on the other side of it, into another Interdimensional Guardians base, but the crash... well, it left us far away, somehow close to our destination, but still..."

"So you still don't know what really happened?"

Jeremy crossed his arms and shook his head negatively.

"After that happened, it was like a car accident, something broke or I don't know... I found myself confused, our bodies fell in random places, but close to where we should be, you were unlucky enough to fall into a river whose current took it further away from us. Lucky that Yoku here gave us news of you." Thea said.

"We still have to follow protocol, get information from the parchment, and head to Lightland." Jeremy spoke.

"Yes," Jack replied, "according to what I was told, the scroll is in the possession of Osamu, the leader of the Blood Katana Gang."

"Jeremy, we can retrieve the scroll!" Thea said excitedly.

"I don't know," Jeremy replied, arms crossed and eyes closed, "it's too risky, we just needed to gather information about the scroll."

"Not!" Jack barked, "We don't have a choice! Osamu does horrible things to the people of these villages and I won't let it go on! These are good people and I feel the bandit leader will do something to the people of Vila Tayo in punishment for that I did before."

"Eeeeeh?" Thea smirked, looking at Jack, "so you really have a village girlfriend?" She smiled mischievously.

"W-what?" Jack blushed.

"Yoku here said he saw you with a girl, Jack, eh, eh, eh, no use hiding that."

"Were you spying on me?!" Jack frowned at Yoku.

"I always walk through these valleys and I saw you one of these days," Yoku then calmly cleared his throat, "most importantly, we have to plan and decide something to face the g**g and something tells me Jack is right, as far as I know, they will retaliate against Tayô Village."

...

The next day Jack woke up a little anxious. The g**g could attack at any time. Kazumi took care of the small garden in front of his house.

"J-Jack?" Kazumi smiled to see him there.

"Eeeeh? She's actually pretty cute, Jack," Thea teased.

"Big bro Jack!" Daisuke exclaimed very happy to see Jack there and ran against the chosen one, giving the boy a hug.

"Nice to see you too" Jack said with a big smile.

"These are your party? Cool!" Daisuke said excited to see the others, the little boy looked at the sword Jack now carried, given to him the day before by Yoku and said it was impressive.

"What are you doing here?!" Mr. Hayato screamed when he saw him there, "I told you to run away! You should been far!"

"Mr. Hayato, I couldn't just run away," Jack said, "Osamu doesn't see you all as humans, he sees you all merely as a source of his greed, he wasn't going to spare you from retaliation for my actions. I couldn't leave you behind after that."

"Jack is right, Dad!" Kazumi said, "Enough fearing Osamu and his swords, we have to rise up, Jack is capable of defeating them I know that!"

As they stood there talking, Jack and his companions heard shouting and confusion.

"The Blood Katana g**g! The Blood Katana g**g!" Shouted a man who ran desperate. "They are here! They are here!"

Kazumi looked at Jack, worried. Hayato asked Jack and his companions to hide quickly in the Ryoshi house, he was hoping that Osamu would leave all that behind and just scare the villagers. Jack did as requested, but he was more than ready for combat. The sound of running horses could already be heard, the vicious laughter and the ugly curses. People ran scared. Jack didn't see everything very well, he could more or less see Osamu as he was riding a horse, he then started to hear the g**g leader speak out loud.

"Hello again, villagers of our beloved village. Listen to me, I didn't come here to harm any of you. I just want one man, the man who dared to challenge us, you must know who he is, don't?"

Everyone was silent, they were scared, but they didn't think about doing the cowardice of handing over the boy who had saved the life of one of their own.

"Where is he? Tell me!" Osamu roared. "Or the old punishment I've given this place, it's going to feel like child's play compared to what I plan! I know he is here! He is too foolish to run away for his own life!"

They remained silent, in an awkward silence.

"Very well, very well. As I am very generous, I will do this, a month of debt paid. That's right. A month without having to pay me, isn't that great?"

Silence.

"Hey, say something!" Ordered Jinichi aggressively.

"Shh..." Silenced Osamu "let it be Jini. So you want to protect that little hero, don't you? This is sad. We'll do it the hard way then, if that's what you want. I must punish them, like a father does to son taken."

A tension spread throughout the village.

"Bring the people who owe me, the ones causing the trouble." Osamu ordered calmly.

"Yes boss!" replied one of the henchmen. After a while, they brought in the man from the day before and his daughter, and threw them in front of Osamu. Jack, who was watching everything from the window, wanted to jump over there and detonate that man.

"See that, silly hero? I know you're there! Are you going to let the people you saved before suffer again? Where's all that hero talk? You're hiding like a stinking rat!"

Jack started forward, Jeremy stopped him.

Let's do the following, in addition to the one month without debt, we will still save this family from their debt.” The man and his daughter trembled with fear “Aren't these two who the little heroes saved? So? Answer your filthy peasants!” Jack noticed that Osamu was losing his temper. Villagers began whispering to each other, perhaps trying to decide what to do.

"Very well! The blood of these people will be on you filthy villagers and yours too, Jack! Hey!" Called Osamu pointing to a group of henchmen "have fun with those two" and pointed to the man and his daughter, Natsumi. The men laughed and lunged at the two, while Osamu waited for an answer from the villagers and the other bandits laughed.

"No, no!" Whimpered the screaming man, who was struggling desperately "Please let my daughter go, let my daughter go! Jack, someone, please help us!"

Jack gritted his teeth and wanted to move forward, Jeremy whispered to him something about yesterday's plan and asked him to wait a little longer.

"Wait!" Yelled that old woman who had complained to Jack the other day, stepping out of the crowd. "Let the man and his daughter go. I'll tell you where this… where this hero is."

Osamu sketched a smirk.

"The wisest decision." He said. "See that, Jack? While you hide to save your own skin, the villagers of this village take care of each other! They were just fine without you! Very well, my lady, say it!"

"He's with the Ryoshi family" he turned to Kazumi and pointed at her "he's at her house, these insurgents who keep causing trouble!"

Osamu just looked at her, then looked at some henchmen and they already knew what to do. They surrounded her and grabbed her.

Hayato left the crowd and bowed to his knees before Osamu, in 'dogeza' style.

"Please my lord, please forgive my daughter's insubordination, she is just a young woman who does not know the reality of things. I take the consequences of her actions, just forgive her!"

"Why if it isn't the fisherman's family again!" Osamu laughed, his men followed, "always making big fuss, huh, Ryoshi? Last time I tore your brother and your little boy to pieces, eh, eh, eh, and of course I took your little wife with me, she has served me very well indeed.” The thugs laughed, Jack could almost see Mr. Hayato gritting my teeth from wounded pride. "Well Ryoshi, you're begging the wrong way. That's where you should stick your face!" Osamu pointed to a pile of horse dung on the village floor, "come on, bend over to me on the turd pile that's where your dirty face should be, maybe it will help mask the terrible fishy odor you give off."

"My lord, I..."

"I'm not kidding you stinky fisherman! Bend over the turd pile!" Osamu's men were laughing, Osamu put a hand to his chin, as if thinking "maybe if you do this, I can leave you alone... if I remember right, you have another child, right? I can cut some parts of it off and let you two live yours miserable lives, but this time I will...hmmm...take your precious little daughter."

Hayato stood up and on his face was an expression of pure fury, Jack had never seen him like that before.

"What are you stinking fisherman doing? Bend over the turd pile, I ordered!"

"That's enough for me!" Jack growled putting his hand on the hilt of his katana.

"Jack, the plan" Jeremy reminded him once more, but Jack just cut him off by growling at him:

"Screw it the plan!" Jack then jumped out of the window and ran full steam over to the Blood Katana leader, his nose seeming to smoke as he snorted in anger.

"OSAMUUUUuu!" He yelled angrily and everyone looked at him, but it was too late, Jack threw a powerful shoulder tackle against Osamu who was knocked off his horse without any reaction.

"SUNBEAM LUNGE!!" Jack heard Jeremy scream and then saw the boy shoot his magic which was a golden ray of light that came out of his sword, against Oda who, alarmed, had made a move to attack Jack, but Jeremy's magic hit him in the shoulder and stopped him.

"BURNING STRIKER!!" Thea attacked Jinichi, who had also made a move to attack Jack, but he quick as a ninja dodged the blow.

Jack focused on Osamu who stood up with hatred in his eyes.

"I could have cut your head off with a simple blow, but I decided to face you face to face, without cowardice, with honor and beat you in this!" Jack said to him.

"You'll see you've made a mistake." Osamu responded as if trying to control his anger and then unsheathed both swords. "I'll rip you to shreds, silly little hero."

"I will be an example for this village, I will save everyone and show them that they can and should fight for who they love and what they believe!"

"The only example you will give them is of your torn flesh and your blood staining this ground."

Jack and his companions were surrounded by enemies, the villagers fled, Osamu laughed as if his argument was the winner and that the villagers only cared about their lives individually.

"Miserable, after so long it's time to clean up my family's honor!" Hayato yelled advancing with a farmer's scythe against Osamu.

"Mr Hayato, no!" Jack shoutted at the man in warning, but in vain, with a quick clean cut Osamu cut the man's arms at the elbow, causing blood to spurt and his arms to separate from the rest of his body, Osamu was about to deliver another blow, a mortal against Hayato, but Jack stepped in front and blocked the blow.

"You will pay dearly for this!" Jack growled at Osamu who was smiling unpretentiously.

"Obliterate the villagers! I'll take care of this little hero here!" Osamu yelled at his men, who yelled in ecstasy in response.

Jack stepped forward, and attacked his opponent frantically. Osamu had the advantage, with the two swords he wielded as well as if he had only one, plus he had more reach as both were longer than Jack's single sword Blood Katana g**g leader unleashed a spinning blow with his two swords. Jack defended the first with his sword, the second, however, made a shallow cut on his leg, which was only not bigger because he had walked away long ago.

"You're good after all" Osamu said, still with a smile on his lips. "But it's not good enough to be a match for me."

Jack ignored it and moved forward again, however, Osamu was just enjoying himself. The bandit leader made a horizontal semicircle in the air, and Jack jumped back, and then, with his other sword, Osamu lunged forward with a dangerous lunge, which Jack dodged to the side.

"DOUBLE s***h OF THE DEMONIC SWORDSMAN!" Osamu then created a sequence of powerful blows that seemed to cut the air, his sword seemed to emanate a strange power. Jack just dodged as he could, dodging the attacks with his sword, or going as far as he could from the attacks. The boy felt the edge of the sword cutting into his shoulder, and blood running hot down his skin. A blow from the bandit leader hit him so hard that Jack's sword flew a few feet away, leaving the boy helpless.

Osamu laughed and advanced on him again.

"FLAMING DODGEBALL!!" Jack unleashed his fire magic at Osamu, who looked surprised, but quickly swung his swords in a special blow and Jack's attack only singed the g**g boss's fur clothes.

"Magic user, huh? Now I see why you're so confident."

"Can I offer you a lot more" Jack created fire in both hands "ready?"

"To slice ham? Always!"

"FLAMING DODGEBALL!!" Jack fired the fireball a little bigger than the previous one towards Osamu.

"WHIRLWIND OF THE DEMONIC SWORDSMAN!" Osamu spun quickly, until it looked like a spinning spot. The sphere barely touched it, and it dissipated into little burgee streamers. The thug stopped spinning, half crouched, as if bowing, and looked askance at Jack. "That's it? Too weak."

"It's useless…" Jack thought, "if I charge him with my Draconic Momentum the guy will slice me like a bun."

"What are you going to do, Jack? Nothing you have can defeat me and the villagers will be torn apart by my men, you failed and condemned all these innocent people."

Jack then ran towards the sword, and Osamu didn't try to stop him. When the boy put his hand on the g*n, he saw why. The katana was broken, so strong had been the boss's attack. Still, Jack stayed with her.

"Are you that desperate?" Laughed Osamu.

"No" smiled Jack "it's just that I can prove I've finished you off with just this stump."

"Interesting" Osamu smirked demonic "Show me you filthy pig!"

"Yeah, I'll show you" Jack held up his broken sword "and about the villagers being slaughtered by your men, did you really look right? Who's slaughtering who?"

Jack pointed around and Osamu looked in horror at the villagers fighting his men, not only that but defeating them. The plan of the day before was to join forces from the villages oppressed by the Blood Katana so Yoku had joined a force with all the nearby villages and was leading them to victory, to freedom.

Osamu made a face of fury and hatred, growling so hard he almost drooled.

Osamu then rushed towards Jack, but for the chosen one of fire, everything seemed to pass slowly. Jack did it without realizing it, but his sword had created a new blade, a blade completely made of fire. Just as the g**g boss was about to rip him to shreds, Jack reached down and attacked Osamu's unprotected belly, making a powerful horizontal cut, as agile as an ancient samurai. Moments of silence followed the fight, the two still with swords drawn, in attack position. The quietness was broken by the ominous sound of the pieces of Osamu's body falling as he dropped his swords and fell to the ground, the cut burning. Jack's sword was a simple stump again, and he was finally able to breathe easy.

"Run away you fools!" Shouted a g**g member "our leader has been killed, we are losing, retreat!"

The tension in Jack's body eased. Only then did he realize that Osamu had also managed to hit him, not full on, of course, or Jack would be in pieces, but he had hit him well enough that several cuts along Jack's body were leaking blood. The boy's vision blurred, he blacked out.

...

"He's waking up" a female voice whispered.

"K-Kazumi?..." Jack babbled, "did you take care of me?"

"Kazumi? Delusional, boy?" muttered an old man. Jack opened his eyes.

"Mister Kenichi?"

"Yes, do you know another handsome sage like that?"

In the room Thea, Kaia and Jeremy were also.

"Eeeeeh? Are you raving about your girlfriend Jack? Are you that much in love already?" Thea teased when she saw him waking up.

"Girlfriend?" Kenichi shook his head, "his bride, that's it, bride."

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH?"

His traveling companions were stunned, Jeremy asked how it had happened so fast, Jack blushed.

"I-it's nothing like that, okay?"

Anyway, his companions said that Kazumi had been there for a long time worried about him, but Kaia calmed her down, saying that he would be fine with her Healing Song.

It was late afternoon, the sky was orange and gold, and a little dark blue was beginning to emerge. When Jack left Hayato's house, the entire village was waiting for him, shouting cheers and thanks.

"Cheers to the village hero Jack Zaek!" Shouted a villager.

"Hooray! Jack Zaek!" shouted the residents in unison.

"Come live with us Jack!" shouted a villager.

"Come visit me, you can eat as much as you like!" shouted another.

"Marry my daughter!" Jack was sure to hear that too.

It was like a party prepared for Jack and his companions. Kenichi introduced his grandson to Jack, Kazumi showed his mother that she was one of the village women who had been taken captive by the Blood Katana, Hayato was very grateful, although Jack was sad that he suffered that attack and lost his hands.

"Don't feel bad, Jack, if I hadn't been a fool..." Hayato said, "but don't worry, that's a small price to pay for our release."

After the battle the villagers invaded the Blood Katana base and plundered the g**g's treasures, so they would renovate their villages and unite the communities into a small town.

Everything looked pretty good, but the bad news is that the scroll was no longer among the Blood Katana treasures. According to Jinichi's records and information given by captured members, a mysterious and apparently very powerful man offered Osamu and the g**g many things if he gave him the scroll, including the special swords Osamu carried. According to reports, this mysterious man was known as The Gray Cloak Warrior, a man whose rumors were not very pleasant.

"This is terrible and must be reported immediately," said Jeremy.

Jack and his friends left when they had recovered from the fight, while the residents of the now town called Ryu no Kiba, which meant dragon fang, rebuild the site. The town's name comes from the fact that, upon seeing Jack fight with his sword on fire, Hayato thought he saw the shadow of a dragon around his body. Anyway, Jack and his companions said their goodbyes. Yoku kept Osamu's swords and said he would stay there to train new warriors who would protect the village, after that he would give the swords to the most worthy and then go back to his life as a wanderer. Daisuke talked excitedly about how he wanted to be like Jack and how he would be the worthy warrior who would inherit the swords and give them new meaning. Because the Ryoshi family played a key role in the two revolts against the Blood Katana, Hayato was chosen as the town's representative.

"Are you sure you want to go?" He asked Jack. "I know this town is a small place for a big hero like you, but we would treat you very well."

"Thanks, but I have obligations to do," Jack replied with a smile, "I have friends I still need to find."

"I understand, you need to help other people across this wide world. Well, we'll never forget you Jack, thank you for bringing hope back." Hayato saluted Jack with great respect.

"I'll miss you, Jack" Kazumi hugged him and kissed his cheek, which blushed, and he felt a little fire on the tip of his nose. He quickly put out the fire, embarrassed

She gave a half teasing smile, "You'll be back, won't you? Well if you liked this, I wonder how you'll react to what awaits you when you get back." The girl winked at him.

"Y-you bet, I will come back!" Jack replied blushing.

"Here, I made this for your trip, to remember the time you spent here." Kazumi offered the boy a lunchbox, the called Bentō, Jack thanked her with a smile. Thea kept teasing the chosen one like about how she was a good girlfriend and that he was an i***t for leaving her like that.

"Leave him alone, Thea, it must be hard for him." Jeremy defended him, "I understand Jack, I've been through this many times, but it's just like that, duty first, eh, eh, eh!"

"Have you been through this many times?" Thea laughed at Jeremy, "Cut it out Jeremy, you're not a guy who's very successful with girls."

"You're kidding, right? You know how I am Jeremy of the Poetic Sword, I'm very successful with women!"

"Boy, you've been constantly rejected as far as I know."

"Oh, shut up!"

Jack was just excited for another new adventure and then meeting his old friends and telling him what he had been through.

"Yoooshi! Let's go!" He shouted excitedly with his fist at the sky.