God Hunter

Chapter 15: Me Linh

By they end of the week, they arrived by Me Linh. They parked the vehicle outside of the city and walked the rest of the way. James, Illya, and Anastasia glanced around the environment. There were rice fields with farmers wearing straw hats and carrying buckets with long sticks on their backs. Some farmers carried long horned oxen behind them. The houses too were made of straw. It was a hot and humid place. They were close to the coast. Soon, they arrived within the city itself. People were riding mopeds and bikes around the thin streets. Many buildings towered high, reaching into the sky. Some of the people gave glances to the Elves and the armored warrior.

"Where's the temple? Is it close?" asked Illya.

"It seems we are," replied Anastasia.

They made their way through a crowded street and a tall red pagoda could be seen in the distance. The trio makes their way through the streets and eventually reaches the temple. Standing out front is a woman with a bald head wearing an orange robe. Her hands were in a praying position. As they approached, she looked up.

"What brings the three of you to the temple of Trung?" asked the priestess.

"My name is Illya. I come seeking the weapons of Tomoe Gozen."

"I am Anastasia. I am a priestess of the Nine." Anastasia took out the chime.

"I see. Come in. I am sure the Goddess will be pleased to speak with you. As for you priestess, I have the ring you seek," said the priestess.

Soon the three entered the temple. He ceiling was high up. The pagoda was more like a tower. Stairs spiral up. The inside was red as well with candles being the primary light source. The four began walking up the stairs. James was holding on to the railing tightly.

"What is wrong James?" asked Illya.

"I...don't feel comfortable being away from the ground," he replied.

"You can head back to the vehicle if you want. We will not be long."

"Yeah. I'll do that. Thanks."

Illya smiled and nodded as James made his way down. The sisters continued upward. At the top stood a shrine. There were two women sitting atop elephants. In the middle was a golden statue of a singular woman holding a sword and pointing it outward. Illya approached the shrine and touched it, closing her eyes.

When Illya opened her eyes, she found herself in an opening surrounded by jungle. The trees towered high. The sounds of birds and other wildlife filled the air. Soon, the ground began to shake and the trees began to tremble with each vibration. The sound of elephants could then be heard as they broke through the jungle. There were two women wearing golden robes crowns and round golden hats. They leapt off their elephants and stood before Illya. They then touched hands and fused together into a singular being.

"Hello auntie. Or should I say aunties," said Illya.

The Goddess smiled.

"You may refer to me in the singular. I am the Gemini Goddess. I represent opposites," said Trung.

"Are you one Goddess or two?" Illya asked.

"I am one Goddess. I divide my power into two beings known as Trac and Nhi."

"I assume you know why I am here?"

"Yes of course. You seek Tomoe Gozen's weapons. Here."

The Goddess opened her hands. A large bow appeared in one and a quiver with arrows formed in the other.

"This is the yumi. The arrows sister wielded are limitless. They will return to the owner's quiver after use," said Trung handing her niece the weapons.

Illya carefully took them, placing the quiver on her back. She studied the yumi. The bow was so big that it was taller than her.

"Thank you, auntie," said Illya.

"Of course, niece. Though you will not have to wait long to use it."

"Why is that?"

"The Divine lay in wait outside of the city."

Outside of the city, hiding in the jungle, Servants readied their spears. Leading them was Saytarus. The God raised a hand, commanding his troops to move forward. It was evening. The sun would begin to set soon.

As James made his way back, he felt something in the ground. He began running towards the edge of the city. Illya soon returned to the mortal world. She turned around swiftly.

"Do you have the weapon?" asked Anastasia.

"Yes, but we need to move quickly," she said.

"What is wrong?"

"The Divine are here."

Anastasia's eyes widened. The priestess was standing outside on a balcony. The sisters rushed out and looked outside. They could just see the jungle. There were small lights that could be seen within it, moving closer to the city.

"I shall rally the nuns," said the priestess "We will not allow another Iceni to occur here."

Illya nodded as the priestess left. Illya held the bow, carrying the quiver of arrows on her back. She lifted the weapon. There was something different about the bow. A strange feeling too in her katana, as if the weapons were coming alive. Illya planted yumi on the floor, nocked an arrow, and pulled the string back.

"I feel like I can hit them from here," said Illya.

"How? It is a long way from this pagoda to the edge of the city," replied Anastasia.

"I just have a feeling."

Illya then closed her eyes. Anastasia noticed that the arrowhead was black but it had a glow to it. Illya fired the arrow and it flew high into the air. It then pointed fiercely downward. A Servant near the edge of the jungle standing next to Saytarus found his head taken off. The God looked at the Servant and saw the arrow.

"So, this is sister's weapon," he said "Move forward! We must hurry!"

"We must hurry. We have to find James," said Illya.

Soon the sisters rushed outside of the temple and began making their way towards the jungle. When they reached the edge of the city, James fighting off Servants. He kicked the Servants. His attacks where so hard that they shattered the armor the Servants, killing them. He kicked another in the head, snapping their neck.

Illya placed the yumi on her back and drew the katana and ono while Anastasia prepared mana in her hands. They rushed in, slaying Servants. Anastasia's mana burned through their armor, leaving a large hole in their backs. Illya stuck the weak spots in the armor with her katana. She dug the ono deep into the armored shoulders of others. Despite how many they killed, more seemed to appear. The three of them backed into each other, surrounded.

"Is there no end?" asked Anastasia.

Suddenly, a figure landed front of them, cracking the cement. The three of them watched as Saytarus stood in front of them. The goat God grinned.

"Greetings...niece."