Jiji no. 8

Gods of Demons

“Hah! So you’re still alive?” Holder looked blankly at General Wu who was now spitting boisterous aura to him.

“Why would I die?” Holder asked.

“Don’t be so full of yourself! You just survived one of my attack! The next one that I would throw to you, would not make you looking at me like that again! Your flesh would be torn!” the General whined.

Holder smirked at him. “Really?” he asked. His voice is with tone of mockery. The General grunted as sweat started to broke off on his forehead even though the place is frigid.

“Jiji,” Holder called.

“Wuu.”

From the Katana, Jiji returned back being a slime. His bloodshot eye were looking at the General with immense anger and lust to kill him. He growled as he clenched his sharp-razor teeth.

By looking at the ferocious face of Jiji the black slime, one would be sure that he would want to kill General Wu.

“We can defeat him,” said Holder.

“Wuuu.” Jiji was serious with his voice, despite cuteness. His stare wasn’t breaking from the figure of the General.

“Hah, what does that slime would do to me, huh? A slime wouldn’t hurt someone as powerful as—”

Holder has the urge to stop the General’s nonsensical whines. It was annoying.

But, he wasn’t the one who made a strong attack. It was Jiji, all by himself, attacking the unguarded and disoriented General Wu.

For a slime, he was now partially bigger than normal. Scratch that, he was as big as the normal human size. But he has a peculiar appearance. Half of his body was just a pure, black, slime-textured creature, similar to what he looked like when he was yet a small slime. But the half portion of his body were horrifying to look at: A long horn; red blood-colored, multiple eyes; fangs longer than of vampire; scales hard as a fire dragon; breath with steam of thousand degrees heat; sinewy arm; long claws; tails; a leg with webbed feet.

It looked similar to the original form of the real Jiji.

That means… he still has the idea of what he looked like, hundred years ago…

That means he still remembers who was he before he could be a slime. It may not be a complete form that he shifted, but… Holder knew Jiji knows what he was.

Or perhaps, he just mimicked the creature they saw when Duthor talked to them, on that yellow room. But he wasn’t entirely sure.

General Wu flew backwards, almost unconscious, from the attack of Jiji. His orange cloth were ripped open, part on his chest, as Jiji used his sharp claws to attack him. His perfectly carved chest and abdominal muscle peered from the ripped cloth, but it was wounded deeply. He staggered as he stood up. He used his wooden sword as a support to stand. His left arm were broken and unable to move.

“You piece of shits,” he said, looking at Jiji and Holder.

As General Wu’s stare landed on Jiji, it lingered there for half a minute. He looked at the once slime but now half-demonic form of the creature. His body was shaking as he examined the horrifying creature the slime has been.

And then he looked back at Holder. He realized something. He stared at him with immense shock and disbelief.

“Was the rumor true?” he asked.

Holder’s eyebrows curved in confusion.

“What rumor?”

General Wu wasn’t able to speak. He now then stared at Holder the same way as how he once stared at Jiji.

Holder saw how the General gripped his wooden sword tighter. His body trembled more noticeable.

“Th—That…”

Jiji growled. It seemed that he hates the thought that the General was stammering, and wasn’t able to speak properly. They wouldn’t understand what he says.

“Th—The secret weapons o—of Agnosbadtt? The… gods of d—demon?”

Gods of demons…

Was he pointing about him as being a Sankt Vessel user of Jiji? Because indeed, it was once a secret project. Only the people inside the Kingdom of Agnosbadtt has officially confirmed about their existence.

Holder decided to play with him. He smirked. Then he asked; “How have you guessed?”

But instead of answering, his eyes started to be invigorated with uttered panic. He saw fear too. Despite his body being almost not able to move, he forced to hold his wooden sword with two of his hands. Holder even heard the popping sound of his crushing knuckle bones.

Jiji growled. He bent his body, and was about to sprint towards him, to fully attack him, and perhaps… to kill him too.

“Jiji, stop!”

Jiji might have stopped, but the General was still panicking. Blue steam of light started to appear on his hands. It crept towards his wooden sword.

Holder recognized what light was that. It was drawn from the majic dusts of the Kohn of fear.

He called Jiji.

The slime jumped towards him, and transformed back being a Katana. Holder grabbed the Katana, and started dashing towards the General—because the General was in danger.

The majic dusts of pure fear would destroy the General’s body too. He might be an opponent, but Holder has a soft heart. For, to be honest, he doesn’t want somebody to die because of him.

However, General Wu had already set a skill. And it was on an activation.

The snowy ground suddenly grew bright in bluish white swirls of color. Holder, abruptly, was forced to stop running. His body went frozen. It stopped functioning, as if he was inside a huge cube of ice, being preserved from decaying. But he knew it wasn’t like that. Holder was frozen because of the skill of the General.

But the once boisterous General is now shaking in fear and panic.

“General Wu! Do not do this! You will also die!”

“Sh—Shut up! Do not go near me! Y—You demon! Damn it! The king has tricked us! Damn it!”

“Wh—what are you talking about? Hey, we can talk! You do not need to do this! We will all die!”

The ground grew brighter.

Holder attempted to look at Balel, and ask for help. But he couldn’t move even his face.

Instead, he called him. “Balel!”

No one responded.

“Hey, Balel! What’s happening to you?! Help me out of here!”

Still no Balel had responded.

The ground grew even brighter. It is blinding.

He looked back at General Wu. He scowled at him. Then he said, “You don’t want to die. That I know.”

General Wu’s face were painted in canvas of fear and panic. But it looked horrifying when that emotions were added with a crooked smile—a smile that is too desperate to do what he wanted to do, even if … he knew that it would even cost his life.

“I would rather die from my own power than to die in the hands of a demon.” He then shouted: “Antartican Doom!”

It was the last phase of the skill of General Wu. The whole place, long as it has a snow, has glowed brighter to the point that he wasn’t able to see anything but the icy-white color of this domain.

“Tsk! I have no choice!” he shouted. “Jiji! Go back to your slime form and sit here on my shoulder. I just have to do something to keep us alive.”

Jiji quickly followed Holder’s instruction. He returned back being a slime and immediately crept onto Holder’s shoulder.

Holder placed his left and right palm to each other. A praying position. He closed his eyes, and started to concentrate. He started murmuring incomprehensible words. And then he calmed his self. His body that was in tension suddenly felt floating in a bluish lagoon with no chaotic waves, but with mild-warming heat of the sun.

He breathed deeply. His feeling shifted. From the peaceful body of water, he felt as if he was now lying on the top of a grassy hill, with flowers and grasses rustling from the cool breeze of air, while the warmth of the setting sun was caressing his cheeks.

Outside his concentration, on the icy domain of the General, golden Kohns started to appear. And when he exhaled, with sense of peace, aurora of gold started to dance on the top of ice-white beaming light on the ground.

“N—No!”

The domain that was about to explode was then calmed by the golden light that covers the about-to-explode snow. General Wu started to feel helpless. His face drooped in fear and hopelessness.

“Y—You are supposed to die.” He was still shaking.

“YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO f*****g DIE!”

The ice domain of the General dissipated. He fell on his knees.

“Kill me,” he said.

“I don’t need to kill you, General Wu.”

“Kill me you worthless demon! Kill me!” General Wu is still absorbed in his fear and panic.

“But… you are afraid that I might kill you, right? That is why I wouldn’t kill you.”

General Wu started to laugh. He also started punching the snows that was now starting to disappear. “i***t. i***t i***t,” he repeatedly chanted. Tears came rushing out of his eyes, and falling on the ground.

When the ice domain was finally dissolved, what Holder first saw was the face of the Sankt Vessel users being painted with concern and worries. But when they saw him, they finally brightened their expression.

“Holder! Oh em gee, I am glad you’re fine!” Benny rushed to him and tightly hugged him.

“Ow, you are crushing me.”

“Good job of holding to the enemy, Holder. We were worried because we can’t enter the domain you were fighting at, that is why we can’t do anything but to wait. We’re just glad that you are fine,” said Duthor.

“Thanks, Duthor.”

“One brave young lad, you have faced a strong opponent, and you won,” complimented by Baba Karma.

“But I am not alone. I am with Balel.” He looked at his back, where he left Balel. And then he saw his friend lying on the floor, being examined by his Father.

“He just passed out, being run out of energy from summoning his Majic dusts. But he is okay, Holder. Don’t worry,” said the General.

Holder rushed to his friend, and looked at him with concern.

After a second, Balel started to grunt, squinted his eyes, and then finally opened it.

“Hey, man. You alright?” Holder asked.

“I’m fine. I think I just need some rest,” he answered. And then he looked at the surrounding—at the battle field. “Wow, it indeed ended in just a snap, the war.”

Being told, Holder looked at the surrounding. And, the war has indeed ended.

“Of course, Sankt Vessels were here,” answered Professor Zen with a cheer. “That scumbag was even a no match for me.”

“I don’t want to imagine what demonic power you have shown to our opponent, I think. I feel I will have nightmare.” Balel laughed.

“If you see them, you would. Benny and Duthor erased a third of the thousand army of the enemies in just one swipe of their skills,” said General Balfor.

“Demons,” said Balel while shaking his head.

Holder fell quiet. Jiji must have felt the unusual quietness of his partner, that is why he comforted it.

He was just thinking…

What kind of demonic abilities these other Sankt Vessel users possesses that they effortlessly defeated the enemy. He wasn’t as powerful as them, but… if ever… what was the extremes and limitations of his power?

He couldn’t answer it this moment, but he was sure he could. Someday.

“You devils.” From their back, Holder and the group heard the voice of the general that Holder and Balel fought.

Holder looked at him. He was now accompanied by his twin brother and the other two Mysthresses, all tattered, wounded, and beat-up.

“We will come back to you, one day!” said the cat woman mysthress.

“One day,” repeated Jiso, the woman with now ripped and broken umbrella.

“Okay, come back to us, one day, and we’ll have a tea.” It was Channie who replied to them. The kid looked high, with chin proudly raised. “If you want to play with my doll, miss cat woman, I shall give you the pleasure.”

The cat woman grunted and cursed. But, she cannot help but to just say, “you must wait.” She was pretty beaten when the fact that she just fought with only an aged woman and a small kid.

“You must go now. Remember that our King just wants you to live, because you have to spread the news: Agnosbadtt is strong. And invading us is a wrong decision. If you want peace, we always want peace. But if you want war and bloodsheds… then come to us. We’re hungry for blood.”

The Generals and Mysthresses of Guion uneasily stared down on the ground, and pursed their wounded lips.

“We must go,” said General Wu (in blue clothing). “Please tell the King of Agnosbadtt that we’re grateful for his consideration about our life. The message will be clearly delivered to the Kingdom of Guion. And later on, to the Kingdom of Xaphan and Fashan.”

“What?” asked his twin, whom Holder and Balel fought. “Why would we do that?”

“Because that is the truth. That Agnosbadtt, this day, and perhaps more days to come, is untouchable. They are powerful. And we shall clearly bring that message to the Kingdom. After all, this is the reason why we attacked the Kingdom—to get information about them. And we finally got it. So now … we will go.”