Capítulo 66: Deception
**The following is a recap of previous events**
"Nezumi felt his head throb.
He touched above his eyebrows and felt a horizontal line of stitches across his forehead.
'You just underwent a neurosurgery,' Tensai explained." (Refer to chapter 47)
"Glaring down with a pained expression, he(Nezumi) recalled Tensai's words while they were underground. 'Once you've dealt with Val and retrieved Ame-no-Ohabari, return here,' Tensai pointed to a blood-stained pouch. 'When you open that, you'll know what to do next.'" (Refer to chapter 56)
"'Tensai,' Warui turned to face his old friend, noticing Tensai's amputated pinkie finger wrapped in thin bandages. 'You sly fox. What're you up to?'" (Refer to chapter 59)
"Tensai's head rolled over in a pool of its own blood.
Teo and Raijah locked eyes with one another, but it didn't feel like much of a win.
Tensai's grin made them question everything.
They questioned how well they knew Val.
They questioned Tensai's 'new world'
And worst of all, they questioned if Tensai was really dead." (Refer to chapter 63)
**That concludes the recap. Enjoy the chapter!**
Val tried to get some words out, but her eyes closed, and her knees buckled.
The last thing she remembered was Raijah catching her before she hit the ground.
***
When Val awoke, she was slumped against a tree stump, looking up at the stern faces of Raijah, Teo, and Cora. Val noticed Ame-no-Ohabari by her side. When she turned to the ground, she noticed Nezumi lying there. His eyes were open, but he was immobile.
Raijah gave them a brief summary of his and Teo's experiences since they last met. When he touched on Hashira's death, Val immediately passed out.
"You don't seem all that shocked," Teo said to Cora.
Cora lowered her head. "I noticed his aura disappear. But I didn't mention anything to Val because I didn't want to make assumptions."
"What's been happening with you?" Raijah asked.
Cora stammered something about Nezumi's betrayal, how he destroyed the mountains, and how they defeated him.
Raijah sighed. After the recent series of events, nothing could surprise him, not even Nezumi's betrayal. "Any ideas on what we do next?"
"My people!" Nezumi blurted out. "How're my people doing? They left already, right?"
"What are you deaf?" Teo grabbed his blade. "Haven't you been listening? That technique you used. . .it reduced your people to piles of bones."
Nezumi repeatedly bashed his head into the ground, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Please," Nezumi cried, "Please tell me it isn't true."
Teo said, "Honestly, I think I'll start by killing you."
Teo swung his blade, and Nezumi didn't even bother moving.
Raijah, noticing the dire situation, caught Teo's hand.
Unsure of what to do and still in severe pain, Cora simply watched everything unfold.
"What are you doing?" Raijah asked.
Teo replied, "Must I really explain myself? He betrayed us, destroyed the Shi Mountains, and nearly killed Cora and Val. I'm simply returning the favor."
Raijah tightened his grip on Teo's hand. "Relax, Teo. No one is killing anyone. Nezumi has valuable information regarding the enemy and their plans. We need him alive."
Teo scoffed, "He's sided with the enemy. We can't trust a word that comes out of his mouth." Teo pulled his blade from Raijah's grip. He struck again, with slightly more force. But Raijah caught his hand once again.
"Alright, alright," Cora intervened. "That's enough."
She was too late.
"Are you really trying to stop me?" Teo asked. "You had no problem with me killing Tensai. Who are you to decide which lives are worth living? Have you let godhood get to your head?"
Raijah stayed firm. "Teo, no one is killing anyone. You can't just take a life simply because you want to."
A roar of laughter escaped Teo's mouth. "You give me too much credit, Raijah," he said. "We aren't as similar as you think. You grew up among humans—I was persecuted by them. It's only natural that we'd have different views on the value of their lives. Most human lives mean nothing to me, whereas you value all their lives."
Raijah responded, "Even then, our enemy is calculated. We're in desperate need of Nezumi's knowledge. Don't you see the value in keeping him alive?"
"You're just being naive. I don't answer to you, Raijah. If you want me to stop, you'll have to make me."
Raijah raised a brow, "Is that a threat?"
Without another word, Teo expanded his blade, and he and Raijah struck simultaneously.
Raijah's fist slammed into the side of Teo's sword, the impact splitting the ground below.
Cora yelled something, but neither was willing to listen.
Recoiling from the force of their clash, Teo launched himself at Raijah and whipped his sword around sideways.
Raijah ducked, sliding between Teo's legs on his knees and jumping to his feet with a swift kick to Teo's back.
Teo parried without looking and turned to face Raijah before he was struck again, instantly ducking a right hook aimed at his head.
Teo responded with a flurry of swings, varying from Raijah's head to his torso and back. Raijah weaved everything but couldn't find an opening to attack.
Teo slightly extended his blade, and with a well-placed blade thrust, he sliced a gash across Raijah's shoulder.
Without pausing, Raijah grabbed onto Teo's blade. Yanking it away, he tossed it into the air. In a split second, Raijah spun on his heels, jumped into the air, swung his foot, and executed a textbook 720-crescent kick, slamming the blade of his foot into Teo's jaw.
Teo stumbled backward. Hardly phased, he grabbed his sword and dashed at Raijah, who had already begun attacking.
"Divine Lightning: Rakurai"
"Dark Prana: Zero Slash!"
"Stop!" Cora's screams finally passed through their ears, causing them to freeze in place.
Raijah's hand, coated with concentrated electricity, was merely an inch from piercing Teo's face. On the other hand, Teo's blade, amplified with dark prana, was just as close to cleaving Raijah's head.
"Idiots!" Cora yelled. "While you were duking it out, Nezumi took off with Ame-no-Ohabari. I can barely walk on my own. Did you expect me to go after him?"
Teo cursed under his breath.
"Shit," Raijah said. "I'll carry Val. Let's get moving."
"No," Cora replied. "Val and I will only slow you down. Go on ahead. We'll catch up.
***
Nezumi found himself running through the rubble, tears streaming down his face.
"Why won't it end? Why can't I control my body? This is your doing, isn't it, Tensai."
As his body continued to run against his will, the weight of his grief seemed to grow heavier and heavier. He had never felt such despair before.
"It hurts. . .my body hurts. Please, Tensai, make it stop. It's unbearable. Everything I've done was for the betterment of my family and I. . .I murdered them. Please, I beg of you. . .just let me die."
Within minutes, Nezumi was in Tensai's underground hideout. He continued to reject, but his body refused to obey him.
He made his way through the hideout, the flame of his candle casting flickering shadows on the rough-hewn walls.
Nezumi came to a stop at a small lab bench. He set down Ame-no-Ohabari and examined the desk.
Various pieces of equipment, materials, and supplies were scattered about, the most noticeable being a familiar blood-stained pouch.
Nezumi remembered Tensai informing him of this pouch, but he was unsure of its contents.
He opened it. It contained a set of earrings, a single cigarette, and a severed finger.
"I don't know what you're planning, Tensai," Nezumi yelled in agony. "But I want no part of it. Release my body."
Nezumi's body pressed on despite his will. He placed the severed finger on the floor and hovered his hand over it. Nezumi could feel his body manipulating prana in a way he'd never seen before—he was gathering natural prana into his palms and slowly streaming it into the finger.
As he worked the prana, something strange began to happen. The finger began to wriggle and then grew into a full hand, followed by an arm, a torso, and finally, a complete body.
Nezumi dropped to his knees, finally able to control his body. He slowly lifted his head to face the man standing before him.
Nezumi sighed, "They. . .they said you were dead."
Tensai simply laughed.
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