Chapter 79 - Giant's Chain Part 2

"I did hear the legend," Matsuda Ken nodded. "Others can too. Lu Shu, you're not completely human, proven by the eyes and tiger stripes under your eyes. Fake Archons, true Archons, and some mages are all able to go to the islands, if they lost some of their humanity. Some people are prejudice and look down upon Practitioners and mages who gave up their humanity, but it also comes with benefits. A member of my clan actually went to the other islands, coming back with both arms and a leg gone. He easily regenerated them, as a true Archon, and obtained many treasures."

"So there could be treasures on the islands we invade," Shu grinned. "Lu Feng, what will those Practitioners and mages under your command do?"

"They will chill and relax with me on this shore. We have no reason to suspect any creature above the Spirit Shaman tier can attack you," Lu Feng laughed. "Once we reach the Hyperion lands, then we take action to ensure none of them attack the army. You can't fight on behalf of an army, but it does not mean you can't annihilate an army. Good luck. Tomorrow, we march through the islands. By the time we reach the shores of the last conquered island, your abilities will be tested. You are a general, of the Tiger Army no less, do not waver and trust in your strength, your men, your advisors, and your strategies."

"Thanks for the advice," Lu Shu bowed as Lu Feng left. Lu Shu entered his tent and meditated. Each of the generals were given special tents that contained more space inside than it appeared on the outside. Furthermore, only Lu Shu was allowed inside, other people only entering with his permission. His war tent was different than his private tent. The war tent was a large tent containing several chairs and a long table, the map of Giant's Chain now spread over the surface.

Lu Shu's private tent was where he slept, ate magical beast meat, and cultivated while in the demon pool. As Hao nibbled on some magical beast meat, Lu Shu wondered why the Spirit Beast didn't just suck it into its mouth like a black hole. He guessed that it was because the body was not fresh, and abundant with spirit energy, being the reason Hao just ate it like any other creature.

"Master!" Wraith cried as it appeared from the guardian lion's shadow. "A Keeper of the Dead approaches! I think it was because you were near Lu Feng, and the Great Ancestor, that it did not approach you and merely followed you. I'm pretty sure Lu Feng knows, probably told by the Great Ancestor. It has been watching you since before you trained under your ancestor. I always had a feeling, being a creature made from angry and vengeful souls."

"What?" Shu cried as a black specter somehow entered his private tent.

"It seems we are finally alone, in an area no living creature can pass," the specter rasped. "I am a Keeper of the Dead, a Shinigami to you Japanese. Death god. Angel of Death and other names. I appeared here, the day you sensed the child of the Titan. I have watched you, judged you, and waited for a opportunity to appear before you. Only those who have died and were reborn anew, can see and hear me with their senses. I am different than the one you met. I am the Keeper of the Dead of this planet, not the one you call Earth. If I was the one chasing, you would not have been reborn."

"Why appear before me now?" Shu asked as Wraith stood in front of Hao. "What did I do? I don't believe it is just sensing the child of the Titan either."

"I came to give you this," the specter said, placing a vial on the ground.

"What is it?" Shu asked, picking up a clear crystal vial with a strange gold energy that looked likes small flames.

"That is karmic fire. The other Keeper of the Dead let you live, but I must judge if you are a threat to the stability of this planet," the Keeper of the Dead said. "Karmic fire judges your past life, not the new one. If you were evil, you die. If you were a saint, you live. The one who will be called Tiger Immortal, drink and be judged."

"Tiger Immortal? That title again?" Shu murmured and drank the karmic fire, the vial disappearing as the fire went inside him. "Uh, what happens to me now?"

"If you live, I must present you with an award and tell the Heavens to allow you to continue living this life. If you die, not even a sliver of your soul will exist," the Keeper of the Dead said as it took off its hood in shock, revealing a skull with darkness instead of flesh and two curved horns growing from its head. "You're not burning to oblivion. You're the first spirit to come here without doing so, that managed to survive to the judgment day."

"There are others?" Shu asked.

"Yes. However, some lost all their memories. Even if they inhabited a new body, they won't come back as they don't have any recollection. Some spirits, like you, came from other galaxies and universes. If they survived to their judgment day, they all died. It's usually the evil ones who try to run away from the Keeper of the Dead. We are different, but we are connected. What one sees, we all see. I did not believe, but it seems I was mistaken," the specter said.

"A hive mentality," Shu gasped. "You're not really a keeper. You're Death, aren't you. No, more like a fragment of whatever Death is."

Gold flames burst from the pores of Shu's body, but Shu did not burn or feel pain. Not even his clothes burned. His body grew larger, his muscles more leaner and gentler. Instead of the face of a masculine warrior, he had the face of a peaceful monk. Only his glowing orange eyes and emerald tiger stripes displayed a mighty image. His veins grew larger, more spirit energy now flowing throughout his body.

"Ugh," Shu said as he collapsed on his knees, his body adjusting to its sudden enhancement.

"You still live. You had the karma of a saint, not an evil menace. I suppose I must give you the reward. I'll answer two questions and give you an item that is the envy of the Hyperion. Now, ask your two questions," the specter said.

"What does five items, the ones I found that the Hyperion tried to find, do?" Shu asked, taking out the bead from beneath his clothes and the map from Spook.

"Smart question. However, you do not possess all the items pertaining to the question. Thus, I will only answer according to the items you attained: the Spirit Beast core, single bead of the five star formation array, and the map. The Spirit Beast core belongs to a Chaos Spirit Beast, a beast needed to walk the Devil Immortal path. However, the Hyperion need twenty five of those cores. They do not know which one they need, only knowing the amount required," the specter answered. "They are needed for the revival of the Old God they serve and revere."

"Malikutai the Divine," Shu said, the specter nodding in affirmation.

"It won't have all its power and be reborn as a humanoid Hyperion. The beads, one of which you own, all contain power that defies the heaven. In other words, they can turn a Spirit Beast core into a spirit reactor," the specter said.

"That's why how my first spirit reactor is made. However, the wing is still inside the bead," Shu said.

"That's right. Each of the five beads contains a fragment of a body, a body cursed by the Heavens that the Old God created: two wings, a head, an upper body, and a lower body. They were meant to be the humanoid body Malikutai the Divine would use to enter the Immortal Realms and realize its dream: to become the sovereign over all realms. It defied its purpose. That is the body that needs the remaining two beads. One is the right wing you have. The other is the head Li Jiro has, the other bead you hid in the root wall beneath the tree. Malikutai the Divine may be resurrected, but it can be killed through the destruction of its head," the specter explained. "As you have the right wing, it only has half of its powers."

"The formation array is to make its new body?" Shu said, brooding over its words. "Pity about the Practitioner weapon and staff, but what does the map lead to. Perhaps, is it the ancient tree of legend?"

"Correct. It is. There are three maps. However, your map contains the safest route to the entrance of the ruin. However, the tree is not its goal. That is all I am allowed to say. Your gift is the very sap of that tree, extracted and be safely consumed," the specter said, laying a vial with a strange liquid the color of a sapphire. "Consider it one of the goals of the Hyperion, and not their god. Your two questions have been answered and the reward, given. Now, a warning and request. On one of the five large islands, the very one controlled by the magical beasts below the Spirit Knight tier; some magical beasts are more powerful than you are. I suggest avoid killing them and entrapping them in that painting you found. The request: kill the leader of the island. It has survived and denied Death. I cannot take its soul. Kill it and carry the will of the Heavens. Do so, and the new minion I bestow you is yours for eternity."

The Keeper of the Dead looked at Wraith and waved a hand, large amounts of death energy going into the puppet as a skeleton appeared. Wraith had changed, becoming a rather large, white wooden spider similar to a tarantula. Shu grinned, really surprised and pleased as it actually looked like a spider now, save for being the size of a hundred year old tortoise. As for the skeleton that appeared, it also seemed to have a wraith inside it but was different as it appeared in a skeleton instead of a puppet. The skeleton had bones as white as snow and its eyes were the same gold flames known as karmic fire. As if in tribute to Shu's origins, the skeleton wore red and steel colored armor, in the shape of samurai armor, below its neck, a samurai helmet on its skull. Most of all, even if its body was covered, it had the skull of a tiger! It was definitely more scary than a samurai mask covering the front of the skull.

"Greetings, Lord Lu Shu. I am a servant, bestowed by a Keeper of the Dead, to assist you in killing the leader of the magical beasts below the Spirit Knight tier. Should you succeed, I will not be destroyed and serve you and follow your orders for eternity. Like the puppet and Holy Spirit Beast, when you die, I will die," the skeleton bowed on both knees.

Shu stared at the four foot soldier and said, "My own personal samurai, and it's even undead. Sweet. Your name is Bakura. Yeah. Man, I missed that show. Well, before it got stupid. The shows of the past had a view surviving recordings during my time."

"Yes, Lord Lu Shu. I am Bakura," the skeleton said, rising to its feet. "I will be the wraith skeleton that protects you in the light, while wraith puppet guards your Holy Spirit Beast in the shadows."

"My time with you is done here. As I said, the wraith has become a sentient skeleton minion, one that will be the same cultivation strength as you are. Just like your wraith spider puppet. No doubt, you realize how powerful wraiths can be. Just so you know, the one who bought the book was not a human, but a demon. It wore a magical item similar to the Crimson Ring, but inferior to the one called Spook. Do not doubt my words: it will be your greatest enemy. That demon, and its allies, also possess one of the three maps. However, the ruins do not open until all three maps are present at the entrance. Its dangers are similar to the Pantheon of Devils," the specter said. "Do not attempt to go in below the Archon Dragon tier. That is one indisputable fact. You will die otherwise. Good luck and please kill the leader."

"No matter how powerful I become, there is always something bad I learn that I am too weak for," Shu sighed as the specter disappeared before he could blink once.

"That was scary," Spook said. "This one was more powerful than the one you met before, when half of me was the Crimson Ring you wore during the tournament in Kasara. I was unable to speak and suggest some questions for you to ask. It is a good thing you included the ancient tree in your question. Otherwise, the Keeper of the Dead might not have told so many specific details."

"Whoa. You mean you were actually silenced? Geez," Shu said as Bakura practiced swinging its katana and wakizashi, a smaller sword similar to a katana. "It seems this world is full of mysteries. No, the universes and galaxies within those universes."

"Are you going to drink the vial?" Spook asked as Wraith disappeared into Hao's shadow as the Spirit Beast finally slept, Shu surprised it did not seem affected by the Keeper of the Dead.

"No, the specter said I should not enter the ruin below the Archon Dragon tier. This tree sap should be attainable at the ruins, although with high risks compared to the sap within the vial. I'm guessing the extraction method was different. I think I will drink it when I reach the Archon Dragon tier," Shu said as he stored the vial in Spook. "For now, I'll focus on the matter at hand: leading my Tiger Army through Giant's Chain, alive with as little casualties as I can. I can't worry about the future if I am struggling with today."