"By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist."

In the serene island, the coming bomber seemed an eerie presence hovering the Okinawa skies. Only a single major airport can handle the large plane's landing. Fortunately for Antony and company, the Naha Airport is the nearest one can get to reach their destination. Formerly called Oroku, the airport was renamed as Naha when it was converted into a Russian air base after the 1922 revolt.

"Alright," Antony remarked after he took off from the plane, "I need a well-armed escort group to take me to Tamago... Tamagoya..."

"Tamagusuku, sir?", Krassa entered with a quick salute.

"Oh... right, right," Antony responded while his eyes looked slightly upward, "Let's go."

It took less than thirty minutes to prepare Antony's escort: six army trucks to travel in twos, and eight motorcycles. A total of 80 troops accompanied Antony and Krassa.

"Tamagusuku is named after the former chief of the island," Krassa recounts as they went on their journey, "For a village that's hardly inhabited, Tamagusuku must have done a bad job."

Antony replied coolly, "At least he's got something named after him."

Krassa coughed a little, and then asked, "What exactly is our mission in that village, sir?"

Antony decided not to respond, and while his aide waited for his answer, they already arrived in the area.

"A cave, sir?", Krassa asked as he looked at the seemingly pale white sight.

Stalactites and stalagmites littered the cave, yet its flowing waters are as blue as it can get.

"Secure the perimeter," Antony ordered, "Wait for me here."

"S-sir! Surely you'd need some company?"

Antony walked to Krassa, and patted his shoulder with his right hand.

"Man is born alone. He will live alone, and then depart alone."

Krassa raised his head, looking at Antony's eyes. At first, he was afraid, but then he realized that those were not the eyes of a man who lost hope. The eyes were lighting up with determination.

"Y-yes, sir!"

Krassa salutes, and so did the rest of the soldiers with him. Antony salutes back, motions them to be at ease, and turns to proceed to the inner portions of the cave. When Antony was out of sight, Krassa motioned to one of the Japanese soldiers that accompanied the escort. The Japanese rushed to his side.

"Who are you, son?"

The Japanese soldier saluted before saying, "N-nani ga arimasu ka?" (What is it?)

"Eh? N-nani sore??", Krassa surprisingly remarked, "You don't speak our language?!"

One Russian soldier nearby saluted, and then shouted, "Sir! Major Rabukome Yahari here doesn't speak our language, sir! Even his Japanese is quite different from that in Honshu."

Krassa turned to Yahari with a different mood, "Major Yahari! You're in the army now! You call yourself a soldier in the Russian army?! Better go back to the academy!"

Yahari slightly bowed continuously, sensing that his senior officer is mad, even though he does not exactly understand how it is so.

"G-gomenasai... Hontou ni gomenasai de arimasu..." (I'm sorry. I'm really sorry.)

"Hrr...," Krassa can only utter as his teeth grind each other, "Kindly ask Major Yahari about the cave..."

The Russian soldier saluted again, and frantically asked Yahari in Nihongo concerning Krassa's query.

"Sir!," he translated, "Eto... He says... the cave is called... Gyokusendo."

"Okay. What else?", Krassa said as he sat down on one of the rock formations.

"Sir! Gyokusendo... was only discovered 150 years ago... because its location... location, deshou? It's hard to get to..."

"I see."

"It was Kaiser-sama... who developed the roads in Okinawa... making the cave accessible only recently... but... wait... uso!"

"Wait what?"

"It is rumored... spirits roam the area... that's why nobody really explored into the cave..."

"Spirits, you say?", Krassa confirmed, with the thought of the power of god striking him again.

"Yes... Voices heard... Nobody returns alive... except Kaiser-sama... The cave... estimated to be at least 5 kilometers deep... but we only explored... 800 meters... sir!"

Krassa looked to the dark expanse of the cave, thinking of his master's objective.

"I never thought Sir Antony is a spelunker."

"Uh, sir? That is all Yahari knows, sir."

"That is all? Hmm..."

Meanwhile, armed with the latest in spelunking technology, ventured deeper into the cave. The scenery seemed endless, making him feel like he was going forever, even if only an hour or so had passed. In the second hour of his exploration, he stopped to have a quick meal, and made this a habit by doing it again in the third hour. In every stop, he made distinguishable marks to guide his way.

Four hours have passed, and Antony felt like he is lost in the depths of the cave. He did not expect the strenuous yet monotonous journey ahead. As he stopped once more to take a break, he sat on a nearby rock, but instead of keeping him upright, he fell on his seat. The rock moved downward. Just then, lights began to flicker from the rock walls. However, they are not simply torches. Apparently, crystals, or crystal-like materials, lighted the area. While darkness reigned in the cave, the lights seemed bright stars that are lined up. As he looked to where the lights go, it does not extend anywhere beyond his current position.

"The lights," Antony thought to himself, "They don't light up the path I just traveled..."

There are multiple paths with which Antony could have gone as he went on the fourth hour of his journey, but this time, the lights seem to point to a certain direction. While he remained cautious for traps, he decided to go to where the lights end. Going forward, Antony noticed that instead of getting more cramped, the path is leading to more spacious parts of the cave. As for the waters, they seem to get smaller and smaller. In his fifth hour, he stopped once more, but then he began to notice grass, flowers, and other plants growing in the area.

"Plants? In this depth?", Antony again thought to himself, "Interesting..."

In the sixth hour, he was about to take another break when he heard swishing sounds. A water source? Antony ran to check it out.

"Dare ga?!" (Who is it?!)

A voice thundered in the depths of the cave, and it even echoed.

"How could've he known...?"

Antony was surprised, because in his estimates, he is at least 500 meters away from the person. What added to the surprise was the fact that there is actually a person living so deep in the cave. He tried to hide behind one of the rocks, but as he was just about to observe the man, a blade struck deep into the rock. Antony even saw the shining blade as it went through his cover. He barely survived the encounter as he backstepped as fast as he can, and then tumbled once.

"Wooh! I'm getting old now, am I not?", Antony said with a wry smile.

"Hmph!", the man remarked as he pulled his sword out, "Dekashita!" (Well done!)

Looking closer, Antony saw the man wearing a kimono of red and white, while holding a short sword (kodachi) on one hand, and a long sword (tachi) on the other. His head was balding on the top, but he still had gray hair growing on the sides.

"A samurai?!"

"Hmm!", the surprised man said as he stopped walking towards Antony, "Roshiajin?!" (Russian?!)

"Um...," Antony said as he scratched his head, "Hai! Hai! Russia-jin desu?" (Yes! Yes! I'm Russian?)

The angry face of the man turned into a calm, slightly happy face.

"Jurius-kun?"

"Ju-Jurius-kun? Iie... Boku wa Mark Antony desu...?" (No... I'm Mark Antony...?)

"Antoni-san? Nani sore?" (Antony? What's that?)

"Um...," Antony says as he stretches out his hands, "A-anata wa Russian ga hanasemasu ka?"

The man pouted, and then laughed. As he continued laughing, Antony also began to laugh a bit.

"Roshiajin!", he finally said as he put back his swords into their sheaths, "Of course! I understand your language!"

With this remark, Antony slowly went down, and then threw him some stones. At any rate, the man was able to evade all of them, although it appeared like he was actually dancing.

"Mattaku... You should've said earlier! I'm running out of Japanese!"

"Anton-san, maybe Jurius-kun is with you, eh?"

"Jurius-kun?"

"Hai! I mean, yes! Jurius Kaiser! He fell behind you?"

"Kaiser! Oh, um, well... About that..."

Antony went on to narrate an overview of what happened to Kaiser. The man looked down, as if trying to hold back his tears. Still, he quickly snapped out of it, and gaily offered Antony some snacks, and of course, tea.

"You can grow tea here?!"

"Nandemonaiya! I just buy them in the nearest store."

"Uh, what? But I saw plants growing! Even here!"

The man just shrugged, while saying, "Be indifferent to where you live. Besides, you should've just used the shortcut."

Antony made a suspicious look at the man as he was rubbing his chin.

"Who are you anyway? How did you know Kaiser?"

"Eh? Well, I guess you won't venture this deep into the Gyokusendo for nothing."

"You seem adept with the use of two swords. I can well say you're a samurai."

The man smiled as he responded, "Iie... I'm no longer a samurai, but a ronin... Or rather, I've always been a ronin."

"Ronin?"

"Yes, and as far as I see, you can be considered a ronin, too."

Antony's eyes narrowed.

"You really didn't answer the question."

"Oh, didn't I?", the man said before laughing again.

The laugh, which went something like ashi-ashi-ashi, seemed to annoy Antony.

"I guess that's what you get by living alone in the cave."

"Hmm. I begin to see what Kaiser saw in you..."

"Is that so?"

"Alrighty then. You can call me... M. M."

"M&M?"

He ignored the mispronunciation, and continued, "M. M. I guess people came up with the name Invincible under the Heavens for me, but I don't think much about that."

"You go by initials only? That's some tradition..."

"Hey, why're you really here, Anton-san?"

The atmosphere suddenly became serious. It was as if the vast cave became a closed cage.

"You really wanna know why?"

"Mochiron."

"You really wanna?"

"Now you're starting to sound silly."

Antony paused for a while, gets some notebook from his bag, and then glances over it.

"Leaders around the world. They've all been obsessed by one thing. Immortality."

M. M. remained silent. He only nodded.

"Kaiser's different. He seemed so sure of immortality. Maybe you have an idea, M. M.? Are you called invincible because of this...?"

Silence again reigned for a few minutes. M. M. then rose from his seat, and quickly removed what seemed like a wooden cover. The sight astounded Antony. It is a mural on the rock face.

"W-wow...," Antony gaped as he saw the massive mural in full display.

"A sharp tongue. But also, a sharp mind," M. M. calmly remarked, "No wonder Kaiser chose you."

"Maybe, but not as sharp as your blade!"

They both laughed at that last statement.

"You see before you one of the many representations of God and His council."

"God... The power of god?!"

M. M. stared at Antony.

"How much do you know, Anton-san?"

"The power of god... A grant given by god to his elect... but, are the immortals...?"

"What is called the spirit is where there is nothing. It is beyond man's knowing. Of course, you will see the Way as nothing."

"The... Way...?"

Antony scribbled whatever he can, even trying to sketch the mural as he forgot to take a camera with him. Besides, photography by this time was black and white. The various colors of the mural will not be taken into the photograph.

"Yes. The Way is beyond any of us. We, the immortals... the eternals... Whatever you call those who have transcended the phenomenon called time. They're only the elect of the Way."

"God's elect... I get it now! The elect are the immortals! But... what of Kaiser?"

"A believer of the Way... but... he hasn't achieved the necessary. Besides, he will have a long wait to be elected. I have been holding this position for more than 300 years."

"Three hundred?! Of course... You're immortals, after all... but, does that mean all seats have been taken?"

"Heh. I say, that's a casual way to put it. Behold, God's council."

Antony counted, and there were only 26 figures in the council, with God as the 27th figure. The council members form a large circle, circumscribing a square, and then another circle, and then a triangle, then another circle. The pattern goes on. A lot of similar designs litter the entire mural. The figure of God is the most striking of all. He is not drawn at all. Only the name kami-sama takes His place in the council.

"The rest of the council are called kami...," Antony observed, "The immortals are also gods!"

"Iie. As there are many gods and many lords, there is one God only. He is the Way."

"I start to not get it at all."

"In the beginning, God said, "Let us make mankind in our own image, in our likeness." The elect may have transcended time, but they certainly did not exist before time."

"I see... but... let us? Our image?"

"God is one, at the same time, God is all."

"Thy one liners are as invincible as thy techniques!", Antony can only remark as he hastily took down notes of their conversation.

They again laughed at this point. Still, did Antony just discover something beyond human knowledge? The power of god? The elect? Where does Kaiser, and the rest of the world for that matter, fit in this doctrine? As secrets begin to be revealed at Gyokusendo, where will Antony and his search eventually end up to?