Second Wind

43

"How careless!" Gedatsu said in shock.

"It's not carelessness! It's stupidity, plain and simple!"

"Enough of this nonsense! Do not forget that this is the place where God resides!" Chief Enforcer Yama scolded. "Stop making fools of yourselves!"

"Where God resides?" Ohm repeated. "So then, where is God exactly?"

"Everywhere," came a voice out of nowhere, startling the priests. They were suddenly shocked by a mild electric current that ran through the air, stopping when it reached the nearby throne and materializing in the form of a man. That man was easily recognizable as God Enel.

"Ahahaha! Your mantras still need work! Unless you can keep them active even in the middle of your petty squabbles, you won't be able to sense my approach."

"Did you call us here just to tell us that?" Ohm asked lazily.

"Actually, the main reason is that I was bored. But there is something I wanted to discuss with you. Are you aware that seven Blue Sea dwellers are on Upper Yard as we speak?"

"Yama told us about it," Ohm answered. "So, I assume you called us here to take care of them?"

"Partially. As of now, they've split up. Their ship is still at the sacrificial altar, so I'm sending one of you to bestow Heaven's Judgment upon the two of them. The remaining five can be dealt with during the survival game I'm planning."

"Survival game?" Satori asked curiously.

"That's right. A survival game. Between my forces, the Shandians, and the Blue Sea dwellers. I myself will be participating. The reason for this is, of course, because the Maxim is almost completed. So, starting tomorrow, your boundaries in Upper Yard are to be abolished. You are free to do as you wish. After that, we'll depart. To the dream world."

"So then, which of us will go to the altar?" Gedatsu asked.

"Decide amongst yourselves," Enel answered. "Play rock-paper-scissors if you have to." The priests looked at each other and shrugged before holding their fists out. "Oh, and one more thing. Be careful not to die while fighting the Blue Sea dwellers. There's something about them that I can't quite place. Two of them have slightly similar voices to one of the other Blue Sea intruders who faced Shura's Ordeal of String not too long ago. Of course, they're no threat to God, but do be careful, won't you?" He took a bite out of his apple.

"After all, it would be most troublesome if we lost another priest."

In a certain village hidden amongst a vast array of island cloud, a little girl scurried through, attempting not to be sighted. It was the hideout of the remaining Shandians, the tribe of people who had been living on Jaya when it was blasted into the sky. The little Shandian girl looked down at the bag in her hands and smiled in satisfaction before starting to run again.

"Where have you been?" a voice spoke out, startling her enough that she tripped and fell over.

"Ka-Kamakiri!"

"You went to Upper Yard to get vearth again, didn't you, Aisa? You're going to wind up dead at this rate."

"So are you!" the girl named Aisa yelled, sticking her tongue out childishly. "Everyone knows you can't beat Enel!"

Kamakiri narrowed his eyes at her, causing her to yelp and run away. "Little punk..." he muttered.

Aisa arrived at the center of the clearing, where there was a war meeting being led by the Shandian chief and the most influential of their warriors. It was the latter of those two that had a tendency to terrify her. The War Demon, Wiper. She focused intently on what they were saying inside.