Ren used his healing powers to help speed up the healing process. "Thanks for fixing all the remaining injuries, Ren." Ronin exclaimed. "So, now what?" Ela asked. "We'll leave tomorrow at dusk. Anyone has a problem with that?" Ronin asked. "How did you heal at such a high rate?" Sam asked. "If he had all of his powers, he would've healed all those injuries within milliseconds." Grid exclaimed. "Wait, What!? That isn't possible! That feels demonic! Tell me that it's a joke, Ron." Sam gasped. "It's not a joke. Whatever, anyone has a real question?" Ronin asked. "Yes, I have one. How exactly are you planning on moving forward with finding your weapons using the Katana?" Grid asked. "Okay. Grid, you must have felt it too. When I touched the Katana, for everyone, I transformed into my true form. But for me and Grid, it was as if other souls were calling for me. What I mean is, these four Katanas, they aren't normal weapons. They have souls of their own, giving their life a purpose. As soon as I held this Katana, I was able to sense one of the three, calling for me from a distance. I can still sense it's presence. After all these years, they must have tried to make their presence felt, and must be wanting to be back with me, after sensing my aura grasping their brother. I'll get them slowly but surely." Ronin explained. "I'll get my packing done then. We have a long road ahead." Ren replied. "About that, ren, I want you to stay here. With Nue and Neu out of their barrier, The Wisteria Mansion isn't safe. I want you to be on guard. I know for the last so many centuries, you've been on guard, protecting the Mansion, but you have to continue to do it. For our sake." Ronin said. "But I can help find the weapons, Ronin. I've lost Akira sensei by not being there for him when he needed me. I don't have that to happen with you as well. You're not up to your potential right now. It's a long way and I can be of great help, trust me." Ren pleaded. "I understand your dedication and your side, but Ren, you have to stay here for the upcoming generation. This mansion is the only place where magic is in its purest form." Ronin explained. "Alright. If it's an order from my captain, then I'll respect it." Ren replied. "Captain? Not yet. I'm still just a fellow warrior. Thanks for respecting my decision." Ron exclaimed. "You have a long road ahead, take good rest for now." Ren exclaimed.
It was two in the morning when Ren woke up. He came out of his room into the garden, where he saw Ronin. He was sitting alone on the top of the mansion. He jumped his way up and said, "Couldn't sleep? Not comfortable in these beds?" "Nah, that's not it. I just feel weird. Everything makes no sense." Ronin gasped. "It's okay. That's what life is. It's okay to feel weird at times. You see, when you passed away for the first time, I was left all alone. With you and Akira sensei gone, I had no one. Life made no sense to me. I wanted to die but couldn't. That's when I met Shirai. She gave my life a meaning. Though, after her death, I made sure to never feel dull and give up so that I can carry on her legacy. That's when you showed up again. I didn't have any hopes of you coming back, but you did. Every time I was alone, I lived my life in the hopes of making this world a better place, thanks to you and Shirai. You're born for a reason, Ronin. After all this time, you cannot let Akira sensei's death be in vain. There's one thing I don't understand though. The oracle mentioned that Neu and Nue's death will be at the hands of one of their students, but all of them are dead. How are they supposed to die now?" Ren asked. "I don't know, but I have to make sure they die. I can't let their evilness spread in the world anymore." Ronin replied. "Make that your purpose and it'll all make sense eventually." Ren exclaimed. "Thank you, Ren. Just like old times." Ronin said. "Just like old times, my friend." Ren replied as Ronin teleported back to his room. "it'll be alright." Ren gasped.
Before dawn, everyone was ready to leave. "Ren-san, you've done a lot for us. I don't know how we'll be able to repay your kindness." Ela exclaimed. "Don't worry about it. Everything happens for a reason. Ronin's win will be our win. Have a safe journey. Find your Katanas and return back safely, Ronin. Till then, I'll look for ways to release your curse." Ren responded. "On my behalf, take care of the Wisteria Mansion once more. See you soon, Ren." Ronin replied as they took their exit from the tunnel portal.
"So, let's head to the where the Katana is." Sam stated. "First of all, we have to somehow get back to the hotel, but I don't think sparing a lot of time if reasonable." Ela said. "About that, I do have some tricks up my sleeves." Ron replied. "What do you mean?" Ela asked. "Shadow magic, cloning." Ronin chanted. From his shadow, three shadows appeared, taking the appearance of the three. "So, these will be our alternates!" Sam exclaimed. "Go to the hotel and act as us there. Continue to live our lives until we return." Ronin commanded them and teleported them to the hotel. "Now that's done. Let's move further. First, let's find a place that's excluded from human intervention and somewhere I can concentrate." Ronin said. "How will we find such a place in a city we've never been to before?" Sam asked. Suddenly, Ronin felt a bright aura from Ela. It lasted for just some seconds, but he sensed it. "What was that?" He thought. He decided not to mention it and continue with looking for a place.
After thirty minutes, they found an alleyway which looked secluded. "I think that alleyway would work." Sam exclaimed.
In the alleyway, Ronin used a seal magic, hiding their presence from the world. "Now, let me concentrate." He said as he sat down in the alleyway, holding the Katana in his hands. "Show me where you are. Make me feel your presence." He chanted. Suddenly, he started to have visions. "Alternate reality. Fields. The town." He started blabbering. He started shaking as if he was having fits. "Ron, you, okay?" Ela shouted. Suddenly, he stopped and opened his eyes. "You're eyes. They're a different shade of red. Brighter and shinier." Sam exclaimed. "My eye color showcases different magical attributes. When I'm normal, my eyes are blue in color. As I use my powers, they change into different shades of red, based on what power or magic I'm using." Ron explained. "What happened to you right now? You were shaking so badly." Ela grunted. "I was having visons. There were towns, some familiar faces, and at last, I was able to see my second Katana. Even though I could sense it, it somehow felt far, far away. It's not even in this dimension." Ron explained. "Another dimension? Now there are different dimensions!?" Sam gasped. "Um yes. You expected it all to happen here in plain sight? Even the Wisteria tunnel was a different dimension." Ronin explained. "Then we should go back and start our search there, right?" Sam asked. "We'll you see Sam. The Wisteria tunnel is in a completely different dimension that I created. The real magic world, it's a quite different space. There are actually, multiple worlds, not just ours." Ronin explained. "I see." Sam responded. "I mean, we can still go back and travel from there, but dimension travel takes loads of magic, which sadly, I don't possess at the moment." Ronin explained. "But if we decide to travel from this world, same amount of energy output will be required, how exactly will you manage that?" Ela asked. "You're right. We'll need the same amount of energy." Ronin said. Suddenly, Grid came out of Ronin's body. He was also able to sense the aura coming out from Ela's body. He was going to mention it when Ronin stopped him. "Don't mention this right now. I need to first find the reason behind this aura surge. This can be either good or bad. So, this isn't the right time to mention it right now." Ronin said using telepathy. "There has to be a way. Yes! Portal gates! We can use previously built portal gates to travel without using any kind of energy. I'll have to search for one though." Ronin exclaimed. He sat down, concentrating all of his magic on his head. A circle formed around him with five purple light beams pillaring it. "What is this?" Sam gasped. "The concentration. It basically works as locator magic. You can locate anything with this if you have the right source." Grid explained. "That makes things a lot easier." Sam exclaimed. Suddenly, Ela shouted pointing towards the walls of the alley. "What are those!?" "Phantoms! I should've seen that coming from an untouched alley like this. Unfortunately, neither Ronin nor I can do anything about this right now. He's in a state of concentration so he cannot move, and as far as I'm concerned, if I use any kind of magic right now while being connected to him, it'll end up disturbing his concentration. I can use but a little amount of magic. I'll summon two swords for the two of you. It's on you two now. Defend!" Grid explained, summoning two swords. "How are we supposed to fight!? We're normal humans!" Sam gasped. "You have an advantage. They'll make their way towards Ronin. His aura overtakes yours. They won't notice you. They're phantoms so they cannot even see. Slash their heads. You can stop them this way!" Grid explained, reassuring them. "Alright, I can do this. I can kill these bastards." Sam pep talked himself as he ran towards the demons. "Here goes nothing." Ela grunted as she rushed in the other direction to stop the phantoms. "You could've killed these nobodies within seconds. Why lie to them and put them through this?" Ronin asked via telepathy. "They've decided to be a part of this journey and help you. Some sense of battle is the least they should be prepared for. These are weak phantoms that I summoned. If they cannot even defeat them, then I'm afraid they aren't fit for the journey ahead." Grid exclaimed. "Cut them some slack, they're humans after all." Ronin exclaimed as he continued to look for the source.
The two kept on slicing the phantoms' heads off. "It's fun!" Sam exclaimed. "I know right?" Ela replied. They kept on the slicing spree, but they were nearing their limits. "How long will this take! Ronin?" Ela gasped. "I don't think they'll be able to hold on much longer.' Grid said. "Stop summoning them now." Ronin replied. "That's the thing, my summons are already dead. This time, it's the real deal. Real demons attracted to your aura." Grid explained. "I see. It'll take ten more minutes. I'm nearing the portal. You do one thing, disconnect yourself from me, and help the two." Ronin said. "But that's not possible. We've not been able to do that till now." Grid said. "Yes, I know. But there's a way!" Ronin stated.
"Sam? Lend me a hand here. I don't think I can hold them much longer. This sword is getting heavier and heavier." Ela grunted. "Fucking hell! It's so heavy damn it!" Sam gasped. "Alright, enough for today. Rest up kids. Let the grown-up handle." Someone said. Ela and Sam turned around and got a jumpscare. They saw a big demi-human. "Argh! What the? Who are you now!?" Sam gasped. "It's me! Grid! Morons. Let me end this for once.!" Grid said. "Through the darkness within my heart, emerges my dark powers! Vacuum!" He chanted. Suddenly, his hands turned into suckers, which sucked in all the demons and phantoms inside, including the portals they were emerging from. "Demons sure are tasty! There, all done." Grid exclaimed with a big smile on his face. "But how come you're out of Ron's body?" Sam asked. "So, I'm more of a shadow of myself. Well, meet my shadow form. You see, devils can disconnect their shadows. As soon as the work is over, the shadow disappears." Gird explained as the shadow disappeared. "I found it! The source." Ronin exclaimed as he stood up. "Source? What do you mean?" Grid asked emerging from Ronin's body. "Well, I wasn't able to find the portal exactly. Somehow the portal must have been destroyed. Maybe someone used it and destroyed it. I should've expected nothing less from those insolent brats, followers of Neu and Nue. Just so that I could travel again if I lack any kind of magic, I left behind a source of my powers, that can help me open up the portal. I've located the source." Ronin explained. "That's great news! We can finally start looking for the Katana, Ron." Sam exclaimed. "Yay! Let's go!" Ela cheered. "Yeah, there's a little problem though." Ron gulped. "What now?" Grid grunted. "So, the source is in Russia." Ronin exclaimed. "What's the issue? Let's go to this Russia place." Grid exclaimed. "Things don't work that way buddy. We'll have to buy tickets to Russia. And finding the source will also be problematic as Russia is huge, like very huge." Ela said. "I do know the region. Chukotka region of Russia. That's where the source is." Ronin said. "Hold up. Chukotka? Isn't that the place where it snows the most?" Sam asked. "Yes, that's' right." Ronin replied. "Or we could just skip all of this hassle and teleport directly to Russia?" Grid asked. "teleportation isn't an option. Firstly, teleportation is something that takes loads and loads of magic, which I need to preserve. Secondly, to teleport, I need to be familiar with the surroundings, which I'm not at the moment. So that's out of option." Ronin explained. "I'll handle the tickets." Sam replied. "To Russia? Who's gonna pay for all that? You're father?" Ela taunted him. "Um, yes, My father. Who do you think got your last-minute flight tickets for Japan in the first place? There's a rick guy in the team you know. Told you, I'll be needed." Sam responded.
The next day, they reached the airport. "What's up with all those barricades and security?" Ela asked. The whole airport was barricaded, and nobody was allowed to enter. The security was really high. "What would be the reason for such a high surge of security? A terrorist attack maybe?" Ela grunted. Ronin used his visual prowess to look inside the airport. What?" He gasped. "What happened?" Sam asked. "Why on earth are there so many demons crawling inside? They've killed so many humans and are feeding on them! There are hostages!?" Ronin grunted. "Why am I getting this feeling that all of this is related to you, Ronin?" Grid grunted. "The students were supposed to leave back for Canada today, right?" Ronin asked. "Yes." Sam replied. "This must be a plot of Neu and Nue. They're here for me. I'll have to teach them a lesson." Ronin said. Using his agility, he entered the airport in split seconds without anyone noticing him. Using his Katana and speed, he slashed each and every demon he saw. He grabbed one of them to enquire about this attack. "How come you demons are here in the human world!?" He asked. "We-e are he-ere on the o-orders of Nue. He told us to k-kill all the h-humans here in t-this place." The demon replied. "Why!? Why harm innocent humans!?" Ronin asked. "I don't know. I just saw Nue, putting the humans we captured i-inside a c-container. A mac-machine of some kind. I don't know anything else! Please let me go!" He pleaded. "Oh, I'll let you go don't worry. You'll act as my messenger. Tell that son of a bitch Nue that Ronin is coming for his head soon enough." Ronin exclaimed as he slashed that demon's hands and pierced his legs with those. The demon ran back to the demon world while Ronin destroyed the portal, they appeared form and absorbed the magic.
After thorough checks, the security resumed the airport within a day. All the humans that were killed, their bodies disappeared as multiple portals opened, sucking the bodies in.
The trio boarded their plane to Russia. On the way, Ronin started thinking about the peculiar things happening. How Neu and Nue were able to come back to the human world. Why did they run away suddenly? Why was Neu capturing and putting humans in a machine? Nothing made sense. Suddenly, he spotted the masked armed guys from before, in the plane. "They've been following us from Japan." Grid said. "Let the plane land. I'll take them on in Russia." Ronin replied.
Ronin kept an eye on the armed men all night long. They were reporting everything to their boss, via a Bluetooth bud. They were definitely working under someone. Who could it be? Ronin thought. He alerted Ela and Sam about those guys and as soon as the flight landed, the trio rushed outside. As soon as they got out of the airport, they boarded a taxi to the deserted ground. The armed men followed him and reached the ground. When they went inside, they saw Ronin, sitting on a rock. "There he is. Ron. Come down at once from the rock." One of the men said. "I want answers tonight. Who are you? Why do you want to kill me? Who do you work for? What do you know about me? Don't worry, I'm not going to let you die before I get the answers." Ronin exclaimed. The armed men laughed at him and said, "You think we're fooling? We aren't like the other guys. Our armor suits your fighting style and speed. Come at us!" They exclaimed. "We'll see about that." Ronin whispered when he suddenly vanished. "Where is he?" One of the men gasped. Ronin appeared right behind him and kicked him, sending him flying. He slammed on the rock, shattering it into pieces. He then punched another one of them in his abdomen, who slammed directly onto the first guy. He vanished again. The remaining two got scared and took out their weapons. Ronin appeared in front of them. One of the men rushed at him with an electrified mechanical baton. He swung it at him, which was evaded easily. Ronin knocked him out with just a chop. The last guy near peed his pants but as ordered, he had no other choice but to attack him. Using his armor, he sped towards Ronin. He swung his punch at him and jets on his elbows activated, increasing the speed of the punch. Ronin dodged it thrice and grabbed it finally. "You do like to swing around a lot. Should I break your fist or you're gonna start answering?" Ronin threatened him. "I know you won't kill me! You cannot kill me." The man said nervously. "I see. Here's the deal. I couldn't care less about you people. Let me show you." Ronin replied. He grabbed the man and tied him up to a tree. He then grabbed the knocked-out guy and beheaded him using his Katana. "Stop!! Just stop please! I'll answer, alright? Just stop!" he cried. "Start speaking." Ronin replied. "We work for your aunt. She's, our boss. We work for, Shemin." The guy said. "Wait, that's an IT company. My aunt used to work there before she quit." Ronin said confusingly. "She's the head of the company. We experiment with mythical creatures. IT is just a false wall. The weapon you sued to vaporize those guys; it sends them to our labs. Our scientists work on the organism there. They extract their powers and then dispose of them. If found useful, they keep them as bioweapons. Your aunt ordered us and the other teams to vaporize you and get you inside the lab. There the powers won't work so that the scientists can easily extract the powers out of the organisms without any fight. These powers are then used for their own benefits." He explained. "She knew about my powers? Wait a minute. I saw a blue vortex sign in my parents' car. And coincidently, I saw the same mark when I used that weapon of yours. What's that supposed to mean?" Ronin asked. "The blue vortex appears when that weapon is used to blast off something. Your parents, they knew about your powers and were trying to keep you safe from your aunt when they realized that your aunt had evil plans. When your aunt got the jest of your parents trying to take you somewhere safe, she killed them and blasted their vehicle off that mountain. You were with them that night. She retrieved you before killing them off." He explained. "I don't want to believe as single word from your mouth. Tell me, you must have heard her talk about her daughter, right? Is she her real daughter or one of her experiments?" Ronin asked. "I don't know much about her. The only thing I know if, when you were retrieved, two months prior to that, I was working late at night when I noticed your aunt taking away a child from the experiment room. When she left, out of curiosity, I checked the room. The box that child was in had a label, godly being." The man explained. "That means, the child she took that day, was a god." Ronin gasped. "I don't know if that is her daughter, but I'm certain that it is her, the way she talks about her in the office. Spare me, that's all I know. Believe me." The man begged. "Alright. I'll spare your life. I'll let you leave. Be my messenger. Tell aunt that I will be returning for some answers and revenge." Ronin said. He then clicked his finger, revealing that he didn't actually kill the person, but it was just an illusion. He then used the baton to vaporize each one of them as he now knew that it was safe to use and didn't kill the people.
"Did you get some answers?" Ela asked, coming out of their hideout. "They knew nothing. They work for someone, but didn't reveal who. And they were forced to do this work, so I let this go." Ronin replied. "Let them go? You vaporized them." Sam gasped. "Yeah, it doesn't kill them but just teleports them into a lab. They're safe. Let's go. We've already wasted a lot of time here. We need to look for the source." Ronin explained. His face was filled with multiple emotions which he was trying to hide. Ela could see that he was sad. They took a taxi which dropped them to a hotel, which was near the source. "We'll start looking for it in the morning. For now, take rest and sleep well." Ronin said.
In the middle of the night, Ela and Sam were sleeping. Ronin teleported to the roof of the building, wondering if he could actually defeat Neu and Nue even with his powers back. "You'll defeat them don't worry. You are the one who's going to end their reign. With the powers you are blessed with, you can and will defeat them for sure. You will avenge Akira sensei. You just have to at all cost." Grid said. "Akira sensei. He died that day. I wasn't even able to save him, let alone defeating the two." Ronin grunted. "You did what you could back then, and you'll do what you can now. Have some faith in yourself. Akira sensei is watching over you. This chance is given to you after many lives. Don't waste it by being indecisive." Grid explained. Suddenly, Ronin felt an aura, coming from the direction of the source. "You sensed it?" Ronin asked. "I did. Let's go." Grid exclaimed. They didn't wake Ela and Sam and rushed out in the heavy snowfall to find the source.
As soon as he reached the point of the source, he saw a couple of people. He concealed his presence and his powers. "Tetra is here somewhere." One of the said. "Tetra?" Ronin exclaimed.