[Book II Chapter 45] LIGHT: Confronting a Fang Shinobi

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> Kuro reported. >

They were gathered at the edge of a pine forest above Mount Gull’s midway point. For their infiltration they’d been relying on Light’s familiar to sniff out the village of Fang. This was their first solid confirmation.

“So it’s towards the top…” Jayden muttered.

Light rubbed Kuro just below his ears in the way the shadow wolf loved. He couldn’t wait to show off his familiar to his siblings. This adventure on Mount Gull was everything he’d ever dreamed of: a real shinobi mission of the utmost importance. The seriousness with which his teammates treated everything made it doubly perfect. Hiding his excitement was tough.

“What’s our next step?” Arika asked. “Should we target the weaker sovereign at the bottom and try to destabilize the mountain?” Their task was to delay the coming invasion and gather intel.

“Maybe later.” Jayden answered. “Our priority is still to scout the higher portions. Fang ninjas are more dangerous than the hordes of demonic beasts. We need more details on what they’re planning.”

With Stella Gladesong’s assistance, they’d successfully mapped out the bottom half of Mount Gull. The surveying the top had proved more elusive. The sovereigns up there were stronger and didn’t retreat when confronted, preventing Jaiden from studying the land. In several cases, the danger had been so great that Arika had even warned against entering the rifts. A necromancer ninja is such an awesome combination.

“It’ll be risky.” Nephrite commented. “We won’t have exit routes memorized, and those damned eagles are everywhere.”

Light regarded Gladiator’s leader with mixed feelings. Nephrite was his polar opposite: rational to a fault. While he respected her earnest drive and overwhelming competence, these evoked feelings of inadequacy he didn’t enjoy. I suppose she’s right to worry.

They’d begun their incursion two days ago, and it had mostly gone smoothly. Kaygren clearly didn’t care if the lower reaches were compromised. Aside from those guarding the rifts, the majority of beasts regarded them as allies and left them alone. It must be hard for them to distinguish between different ninjas.

Climbing higher, they’d encountered more and more storm eagles circling overhead. Their eyesight was uncanny, and they seemed to recognize them as outsiders, raising the alarm. If not for the vast pine forest flowing over Mount Gull, their exploration might’ve been shut down entirely.

“Agreed, but we must proceed while they’re still relatively disorganized. In a few weeks, it’ll be more than the eagles that can distinguish us.” Jayden said.

That would be troublesome. Currently they were moving around freely under the tree cover. At night, Jayden excavated and sealed a cavern for them to sleep in. Only when they had to cross rocky stretches in open areas were they in danger.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Light frowned. While the continent-sized mountain was cool, it seemed unwieldy and hard to defend. “Why did Kaygren expand Mount Gull?” He asked. “What advantage does it provide?”

“To build an endless army.” Jayden answered. “Demonic beasts spawn naturally in underpopulated areas, and a realm of this size can generate tens of thousands per day. Once the space is stable enough for sovereigns to leave, they’ll attempt to overwhelm us with numbers.”

“My burning question,” Haron added, “is why did Kaygren wait until the dark age to finally act?”

Light admired the blood ninja’s unique style of combat ——blood blades are badass—— and envied his ongoing competition with Akira. I want my own rival…

“Perhaps because his plans depend on the village of Fang in some way.” Jayden answered. “This would explain why he took them in despite his hatred for humanity.”

> Kuro interrupted, sniffing the air. >

Peeking above the canopy, they saw a forest fire raging in the distance. A nearby a humanoid figure with wings was swooping down and releasing jets of flames, expanding the blaze.

“Kenji.” Jayden observed. “A Fang ninja from my generation who was fused with a fire drake. I’ll go confront him and see what we can learn. Follow but stay out of sight.”

An orange gemstone pillar shot into the sky. On it, Jayden cried out, “Kenji! What are you doing here?”

The draconic man flew close, “I received reports of suspicious shinobi and tracked them to this vicinity. Never expected to find you. It’s been centuries since I’ve seen your face.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Jayden responded angrily. “Why are you turning against Harakoune to work with Kaygren? Do you realize how many will die?”

“You speak of betrayal?” Kenji spat. “You who abandoned the village?”

“The Fang Lord’s actions were unconscionable.” Jayden replied “I watched too many friends die or go mad. There’s no way I could stay.”

“Spare me the sanctimonious drivel. You know what our lord was striving to achieve.” Kenji snapped. “Every one of the hidden villages loses hundreds of aspiring shinobi each year. To the twisted lands, to the Winding and other dungeons. Our lord grew tired of watching this and summoned Salazar Rook.”

“Yes, many died, but the goal was noble. Gift our youth the strength to prosper. Sacrifice a few so more would live and thrive.”

“A few?” Jayden laughed. “There was only one survivor out of the first hundred and four out of the second!”

“But twelve made it the time after that!” Kenji countered. “We were on the cusp of a breakthrough, which is why the other villages turned against us.”

“What are you implying?” Jayden frowned.

“Are you naive enough to believe they acted out of moral outrage? Salazar worked with us for decades. They never raised a peep during our initial failures. Only upon learning the results of the third generation did they voice their objections. They feared our success would upend Harakoune’s balance of power.”

“Perhaps their motives were less than pure.” Jayden crossed his arms. “But their decision wasn’t wrong.”

Kenji stared coldly. “By forcing us to abandon our fusion research, all the lives forfeited in its pursuit became meaningless. The Fang Lord will never forgive those who conspired against us. The sentiment is shared by all who volunteered their children. The world made us its enemy.”

“So Fang truly intends to fight alongside demonic beasts?” Jayden asked softly.

“Yes, and it’ll happen sooner than you think.” Kenji smirked.

Jayden shook his head. “The village will have no future after this.”

“That’s assuming the world doesn’t end.” Kenji launched a fireball which shattered the gemstone pillar. “I’ll let you off today. Next time there will be no such mercy, even if it means angering Azumi.”

As Kenji soared away, Light swallowed his disappointment. A battle between two immortal ninjas would’ve been epic to witness. At least I got some hints about Jayden’s background. Who is this Azumi?

“What do we do?” Nephrite asked after they’d regrouped.

“We retreat for now.” Jayden sighed. “Then we infiltrate deeper. It’s more critical than ever that we determine their plans.”