Chapter 61Shinto Yamamura was cleaning another finished blade in the swordsmith shrine. Even though the shrine had been around for thousands of years they had still kept up with the times. As he was cleaning the blade a TV was hanging in the corner that was playing the afternoon news. The world was going through some incredible changes and people were beginning to freak out. People found that their travels times had increased by astronomical amounts recently. Scientist had discovered that the Earth was actually expanding, and they had no idea how to explain this phenomenon. Besides the changes to the Earth, people were starting to display extraordinary abilities. There were even animals that were showing signs of heightened intelligence. Even though World COMM had warned people that the world was going to go thru some drastic changes, everyone was still not ready for the changes that happened.
As Shinto Yamamura looked around to make sure no one was around his hand started to glow with a silver light. He then slid is hand along the sharp edge of the blade strengthening it and increasing its sharpness. Shinto Yamamura had always felt that he had an intimate connection with metals. But recently he realized that not only could he feel where there were metals in the ground, he could manipulate the structures of the swords he held in his hands. He didn"t want to be treated as even more of an outcast then he already was, so he hid his abilities from everyone else.
As Shinto Yamamura stood up to put the sword he was cleaning away, he suddenly clutched his chest and screamed out in pain. His body began to glow with a sliver light that kept getting brighter and brighter the more his chest hurt. All of the swords in the room with him began to violently shake. As the glow that surrounded Shinto Yamamura reached the swords they would begin to hover in the air around him. As the glow enveloped the entire room, it was no longer just the swords but everything metal in the room began to hover around him. Shinto Yamamura noticed none of this, he was curled in a ball on the floor screaming in pain. His father came running in from the forge when he heard Yamamura"s screams. By the time he made it to where Yamamura was he couldn"t get to his son because the everything metal was spinning around him like a deadly vortex. As he yelled Yamamura"s name his son couldn"t hear him thru the pain and agony he was experiencing.
Gorampa and the rest of the guardians were still on there was to Honshu when their flight suddenly stopped in mid-air. As they looked around they noticed that everyone else on the flight was frozen but them. Suddenly the door to the airplane opened and the Mudd Buddha walked in.
"Things are beginning to progress faster then we antic.i.p.ated. We need to speed things up a bit." As he spoke the Mudd Buddha waved his hand and three of the scrolled he gave to Gorampa flew back into his hands.
"As soon as you"re done in Honshu head straight to the Sacred Abyss. The enemy you will face in not our real threat. The Escaped Ones have felt the changes to Earth and are trying to accelerate the process so that they can return. You must make it into the Sacred Abyss and train as fast as possible, so you can be ready for their return. If not all of humanity will be doomed." As he finished speaking the Mudd Buddha simply disappeared.
When Gorampa and the Guardians looked around they realized that they had all shared a vision. The plane never stopped moving. Everyone looked at Gorampa and asked the same question, "Who are the Escaped Ones?"
"Mankind"s greatest threat…." was all Gorampa would say.
The rest of the flight was uneventful. When they arrived in j.a.pan they quickly left the airport and found a secluded spot.
"I know you guys don"t like to travel this way, but we really need to hurry." With that Gorampa lifted everyone into the air and flew off toward Honshu.
Zhang You was staring up at the Portal to Earth. His uncle had made him the commander of this group, but he felt that it was a truly unfair task placed upon his shoulders. The main group of warriors were all only in the Body Refinement Stage. The only warriors of any considerable strength were the group of scouts his uncle sent along, but they had their own orders. He was merely their guide. He knew his uncle had sent him on a suicide mission. How was he supposed to fight the enemies around the portal and secure the area with the weak warriors under his command.
As Zhang You looked at the warriors they all wore excited looks on their faces. They had been told they the enemy was weak, and they would be able to easily overpower them. When Zhang You heard this whispered amongst his men, he knew he had been set up. He gave his uncle detailed intel on their fighting capabilities. He knew that none of these men were strong enough to survive this coming fight. He even thought of telling these men the truth on multiple occasions, but every time he went to speak up one of the scouts would interrupt him. This was a clear sign from his uncle that he was to just shut up and do as he was told. So Zhang You sat here underneath the portal in the sky trying to devise a plan that would allow him to do as his uncle wanted, without getting himself killed in the process.
"What are we waiting for?" one of the scouts yelled in annoyance.
"We can begin. I was just making sure everyone was at their peak condition before we crossed over." Zhang You felt frustrated with their interference. He could feel the noose tightening around his neck.