Kenpai - 剣輩

Chapter 3: The First Layer of Hell

"We're not in your world," Moye replied. "I can't tell you much right now, because of... reasons, but you have to get stronger. Time isn't abundant for you anymore."

Moye controlled the sword to point behind me.

"I brought your father and brother over, too, but since only one human is allowed to cross the dimensional barrier at once, well," Moye said as I turned around to face two swords. "They're in the swords, just like me."

"What?!" I jumped up. "You can't be real. They-"

"This is our choice, Reiken," said my father's voice, seemingly coming from one of the two swords. "This is our destiny, written in the family prophecy."

"Prophecy? Destiny?" I put my hand over my forehead. "Excuse me."

I didn't sign up for any of this. For real, I just got my trophy the other day, and suddenly I'm in another world?

"You can ponder later," Moye smacked my head again. "I can't tell you about your duty, but you do have one, and it requires you to get stronger."

Moye paused slightly, pointing the sword at a cliff less than a hundred meters away.

"Which is why I brought you here," She continued as I turned towards the cliff. "The Realm of Jigoku, the first layer of hell."

I looked down the cliff, and at that moment, I thought my heart was going to stop. I started trembling.

An uncountable swarm of monsters were marching across a bridge that appears to be made with bones, traversing a bloody river. The hot air was extremely difficult to breathe, as if every inhale would put you in the scene of a massacre.

"Y-You want me to..." I stuttered.

"Right. This is only the first layer out of eighteen, so the exit isn't far," Moye faced the tip of her blade at a lake, its size incomprehensible due to the crimson fog above it. "You just have to get there, and threaten the boatmen to give you a ride."

"But how the hell am I going to get there alive?" I yelled in a shaky voice.

"You got that right. We are, as a matter of fact, in hell." Moye replied calmly. "Also, I won't be able to help you until you awaken your spirit."

"My spirit?" I'm even more confused. "This is just getting more and more complicated."

"Indeed. Now pick your father and brother up," Moye said, and I did as told, securing the two swords on my back.

"And down you go!" She shouted as she knocked me down the cliff with her hilt. She then flew into my hand and stopped glowing.

"Wait a second!" I screamed as I fell. "Child abuse, child abuse! I call-"

I was interrupted when I fell into the bloody river, face-first. I immediately closed my mouth and swam as fast as possible onto land. 

The second I stepped out of the water, my clothes instantly dried up to the heat waves.

I looked up after I steadied myself. Standing before me was a giant humanoid figure with the head of a boar.

"O-Orcs..." I staggered a few steps back.

The orc let out a savage roar and held up a huge bone club, ready to swing at me.

Without blinking, I instinctively jumped to the side, just in time to dodge the attack. Holding the Moye sword, I ran as fast as possible towards the lake Moye told me to go to.

I managed to run halfway out before I ran into an army of humanoid lizards. They immediately noticed and started charging towards me.

"Well, damn it," I took a deep breath, and readied myself as if in a Kendo match. A lizard raised its claws, but before it could strike me, I dashed at it. I heard a slashing sound and involuntarily closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, the lizard was sliced in half, and my face was covered in blood. I would've screamed, but I didn't have the time to; another two were charging at me simultaneously.

I dashed around, letting the sword guide me as I slashed and stabbed my way through the swarm of lizards. Finally, when I saw the lake, I bolted away from the pile of corpses and a few living ones.

"Did I... make it..." I breathed heavily, letting out a few coughs in between words.

"Almost," Moye answered eerily. "This is the last one."

"Good," I let out a relieving sigh as I turned to face my last enemy. My eyes widened upon the sight of a gigantic lizard.

"You've gotta be kidding me," I said in a shaky voice, stumbling the other way.

"Well," Moye replied in the same calm voice. "I didn't lie. It is the last one you have to face."

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder-" I suddenly rolled to the side, barely dodging the lizard's tail.

"Concentrate. From your standard posture, I assume you've learned Taichi somewhere?" Moye asked, and I nodded in reply. 

"Good. Then you must be aware of the existence of your core, located somewhere near your stomach," Moye said, as I kept on running and dodging the lizard's ferocious attacks. "Focus the flow of your Qi to your core, and when you think you've concentrated it to your maximum, unleash it."

I did as told. I imagined a river flowing through my body with a giant glowing pearl near my stomach. I concentrated the flow, to the point where I can't further, towards the pearl, and imagined it imploding.

"Well done," Moye said approvingly. "Now, show me who your soul is.