In the blink of an eye, Kogorō lunged like a living shadow. The scythe sliced through the air, aiming for Jiro's neck with demonic precision.
But the boy spun on his heel and raised his spear, blocking the attack with an explosion of crimson sparks. The clash of weapons shook the ground, lifting a cloud of dust and dry leaves.
— I won't let you hurt anyone else! — shouted Jiro, pushing his opponent back.
Kogorō flipped backward through the air, his yellow eyes gleaming with malice.
— You've got fire in your soul, kid! But that won't be enough.
Kogorō vanished in a burst of smoke. Jiro barely had time to react before his enemy reappeared behind him, his scythe descending like a dark lightning bolt.
CLANG!
Jiro spun around, blocking the attack with the shaft of his spear. Sparks burst out again as the earth trembled. The impact pushed Jiro back several steps, but he held his ground. Kogorō grinned with a twisted sneer.
— What's wrong? Tired already?
Jiro took a deep breath, his gaze sharp as an arrow.
— No... I'm just getting warmed up.
Then, a crimson aura began to surround Jiro. His spear glowed brightly, pulsing in rhythm with the beat of his heart. The ground beneath his feet cracked, unable to contain his growing power.
The sky vibrated with an invisible murmur. Everyone watched the battle with a mix of fear and fascination. The ground still trembled from the recent clash between Jiro and Kogorō, while a tense silence blanketed the surroundings.
The remaining spirits watched uneasily. For the first time, they trembled. Jiro's figure, firm, upright, with his spear in hand, seemed to defy the very laws of their world.
Kogorō, now without a physical body, slowly faded into a dark mist that seeped underground.
—Did he leave? —murmured a spirit.
Jiro didn't let his guard down. He looked around, alert. And then, with a dull crack, dozens of black spikes emerged from the earth, like roots from the abyss. The shadowy spears launched toward him from all directions.
Jiro leapt to the side, spun in the air, and with lightning-like agility began to run. Each step was a dance of survival.
The spikes chased him, cutting down trees, tearing through the ground, but Jiro danced among them with deadly grace, his spear spinning at his side like an extension of his will.
—I need to get away... somewhere with no innocents —he muttered through gritted teeth as he ran toward the forest.
He leapt into the trees, jumping from branch to branch, searching for depth, for safety.
But from behind, a dark scythe sliced through the air, cutting trees with ease, as if they were mere paper flowers.
—Where do you think you're going, you stupid brat?! —shouted Kogorō's voice, echoing from nowhere.
Jiro spun his spear between his fingers with flawless movement, and from it burst crimson bolts that pierced the night, lightning made of pure magical energy.
—Take this! —shouted Jiro.
The bolts tore through the forest like meteors. Kogorō, visibly frightened for the first time, barely managed to dodge them.
—W-wait! Is that... Crimson Power?
Kogorō levitated off the ground, cloaked in a dark and purple aura, his eyes glowing with fury and desperation. He raised a hand to the sky and unleashed a crushing gravitational wave. The air cracked. Trees exploded. The ground caved in.
—Take this! —he roared with all his might.
When the dust settled, the entire forest was destroyed. There was no trace of Jiro.
—Nothing left of him...? I knew he couldn't...
But a different breeze blew.
Kogorō felt something behind him. The world seemed to stop.
He slowly turned his head.
There was Jiro. Still. His spear glowing. It wasn't just steel... it was something beyond. An immortal beauty. An omen.
—W-what is this...? —whispered Kogorō.
The spear struck him in an instant.
From top to bottom. Cutting him in half.
—IMPOSSIBLE! —roared the spirit, before vanishing into a cloud of dark smoke.
The smoke was slowly absorbed by Jiro's spear, as if it were a hungry seal.
Jiro, calm, landed on a sturdy tree branch. The ruined forest behind him.
—Alright... time to head back —he said firmly.
Later, in the village...
The villagers, still tense, saw him appear over the hills, walking alone. Bathed in the sunset light.
—It's Jiro! He's back! —shouted a girl.
The spirits watched him, expectant. The fourth spirit stepped forward, suspicious.
—Where is Kogorō?
Jiro narrowed his eyes, his voice cold and precise:
—I cut him in half.
—That's impossible! I don't believe you! —shouted another spirit—. Kogorō was invincible!
—I do —Jiro replied, unshaken.
Then Sasha stepped in, eyes shining and arms crossed:
—You heard him, idiots! Get lost unless you want to end up like Kogorō.
The third spirit stepped forward in anger, but another placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.
—I don't recommend it... that kid almost erased our leader. Maybe... maybe he's telling the truth.
The spirit hesitated. He looked at Jiro, at his still-vibrating spear. He swallowed hard, turned around, and muttered:
—This... this has to be a lie...
And fled, followed by the other spirits, dissolving into the horizon.
—They're gone at last! —shouted Leno with excitement— That means we're free! FREE!
The villagers burst into joy. They surrounded Jiro and lifted him into the air.
—Jiro! Jiro! Hero Jiro!
Mayor Cliford placed a hand on Sasha's shoulder. They watched the scene under the golden sun.
—I think they'll never come back...
Sasha smiled, her ears trembling with emotion.
—And all thanks to Jiro.
The next day...
At the edge of the village, Jiro was ready to leave. His spear strapped to his back.
Cliford, Leno, and Sasha stood by his side.
—Well... time to continue my journey —said Jiro—. Thank you for everything.
—No, Jiro... thank you —Cliford replied solemnly—. You brought peace back to us. You'll always be welcome here.
—Hey, no need for the formal stuff... —said Jiro, scratching his head—. I just did what was right.
Sasha hugged him tightly. Blushing, she murmured:
—Hey... tell me you'll come back.
Jiro looked at her with a calm smile.
—I'll come back someday, Sasha. I promise.
—Then... we'll wait for you —she said, smiling.
The whole village saw him off as he walked down the path.
—Goodbye, Jiro!
—Take care, hero!
—Thank you for everything!
Jiro raised his hand and vanished into the distance.
Days later...
A rainy night. Jiro rested under the makeshift roof of a closed shop on the outskirts of another village. He chewed on dry bread and watched the rain.
His spear, stabbed into the ground beside him, began to glow faintly.
Suddenly, black smoke emerged from the tip of the spear. It swirled, took form, and Kogorō was thrown into the mud, gasping.
—Where... w-where am I...? —he murmured, disoriented—. I... I got out?
The rain fell softly on the roof of the wooden shelter where Jiro was. The sky was gray, and a monotonous silence filled the air, barely interrupted by the constant patter of water. Sitting with his spear leaned beside him, Jiro watched the entrance, shielding himself from the cold. But suddenly…
SHHHHH!
A strange mist began to emanate from the spear, swirling through the air until it formed a figure. In a faint flash, the translucent body of Kogorō shot out like an ethereal projectile, landing face-first on the ground!
—Where... where am I?! Am I out already?! —he yelled, shaking off the mist.
Jiro turned with a raised eyebrow, completely confused.
—Is that you?
—Is that you? —Kogorō repeated at the same time.
They stared at each other, mouths agape for a few seconds.
—But what am I doing here? —asked Kogorō, spinning around in confusion—. I was fighting you… until you split me in half!
—I already told you that —muttered Jiro with boredom, leaning back against the wall.
—Don't repeat things like you're my mother!
Angrily, Kogorō lunged at him, his hands morphing into grotesque dark pincers. Jiro prepared to receive the blow, but instead of pain… he felt a tickle.
—What... was that? —asked Jiro, both puzzled and curious. He looked down.
Kogorō had shrunk. Now he was the size of a baby.
—WHAT?! —Kogorō screamed when he saw himself—. WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SIZE?!
Jiro burst into laughter.
—I guess six days trapped in a spear aren't good for spiritual growth...
—SIX DAYS?! —roared Kogorō in despair—. YOU'RE TELLING ME I WAS TRAPPED IN THAT DAMN THING FOR SIX WHOLE DAYS?! AND YOU'RE STILL HERE?! YOU DIDN'T EVEN CHANGE WORLDS!
—I haven't found a Weaving Temple —Jiro shrugged—. I still haven't been able to continue the journey.
—This is a nightmare!
Kogorō crossed his arms, turned around and began floating away.
—I'm out of here! I need to recover my spiritual energy!
But when he passed twenty meters… an invisible force dragged him back to Jiro's spear like a magnet.
—WHAT?! WHAT THE HELL?! —Kogorō screamed, pushing Jiro's face with his hands—. I didn't want to come back! The spear pulled me in!
—So you can't go too far? —Jiro asked, amused.
—I'M FREAKING CHAINED TO YOU!
All day, Kogorō made several attempts to leave, each one more creative than the last, but he always ended up being pulled back.
Finally, at dusk, exhausted and discouraged, Kogorō collapsed to the ground with a sigh.
—It's useless... I just lost my freedom. Noooo...
—Relax, Kogorō —said Jiro, gently patting his tiny ghostly head—. Even if the seal on my spear is strong… there must be some kind of solution.
Kogorō growled under his breath but didn't respond.
That night, while the forest slept and the moon peeked through the clouds, Kogorō returned to the spear to rest. Jiro, meanwhile, lay under the shelter, wrapped in his cloak, breathing calmly. Everything seemed to be at peace…
However, among the shadows of the forest, something was watching them. Or rather… two presences.
Their eyes glowed in the dark like burning coals.
In the following days, Jiro and Kogorō started to spend more time together, though not without tension. Kogorō, between complaints and grumbles, agreed to explain dimensional travel after learning about Jiro's situation.
—To travel between worlds —began Kogorō, sitting on a floating rock while eating a fruit—, you need to use the Weaving Temples. They're ancient structures that hold Dimensional Maps, objects that allow you to chart routes between universes.
—And where can I find one? —asked Jiro, his eyes shining.
—Once you access a Weaving Temple —Kogorō continued—, you can use the map to travel. But there's a catch. Without a Universal Compass, getting lost is just a matter of time.
—Universal Compass?
—It's the most important artifact for any dimensional traveler. It lets you set destinations, track worlds, and stores the full history of your journeys. Without it, you'll be traveling blind… and could end up in a world where you're crushed like an insect.
Jiro nodded, grateful.
—Thanks for explaining all this...
—I didn't do it for you —grumbled Kogorō—. I did it because if you die, I die too for being tied to you.
The night went on and both of them sat to watch the moon.
—Further ahead —said Jiro, pointing at the path on the map he had found days earlier—, there's a Weaving Temple.
His eyes filled with excitement. At last, a door to the Spirit Realm and other worlds was opening before him.
And without knowing it yet, something else was also drawing near...