Strongest Among the Heavens
Chapter 432: Better and Worse

Chapter 432: Better and Worse

"You look better, Pauline."

Being as underweight as Pauline came with issues. In combat, those issues were amplified. Injuries felt thicker and there was not as much energy to cycle around. Pauline was outwardly the exact same. Her anorexia had not left. It was her face. Her eyes. Her wand. There was a shift in how she held herself. A rare kind of confidence that most people in this world or the previous did not have.

Absolute certainty.

Pauline held absolute certainty whether it was in herself, her faith in god, or her own powers. Something about her had fueled her with absolute certainty.

"Better, hotter, or cooler?"

"How about all of the above. It’s definitely one hell of a glow-up."

The young woman let out a soft laugh. "I met some great people in the Abyss. That’s all."

...and that was all she would say on the matter too.

"Oh, and a new eyeliner."

Aside from some comedic remarks.

’Still cautious and paranoid, I see. Then again, this is how she’s supposed to be. I was a bit surprised to see her so...different.’

Paranoid, cautious, and technical were the best words to describe the pale noble lady. A smiler who was ultimately very kind and strong-willed. Pauline was never to be mistaken as a quivering coward. No, she never cowered. Never.

The evening light no longer filtered through the trees surrounding Yaegaki Shrine and instead blasted upon them. The golden rays did not shine brighter than in the Mirror Pond. The pond had a stillness about it, interrupted only by the soft ripple of water and talk in the line up. Kazi and Pauline were in apart of the line-up.

Their turn arrived. Pauline knelt by the pond, holding the small white paper she’d purchased at the shrine. She carefully placed the paper on the water’s surface.

"You believe in this stuff?"

Pauline glanced back at him. "Mm, non. It’s mostly for fun."

"Knew it." Kazi figured she was the agnostic type. "Trust me, don’t underestimate tradition. That stuff can be freaky accurate."

Pauline brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. "We’ll see about that."

The practice was simple: buy a fortune-telling paper, put on the pond, put a coin on it, and depending on the results and whether the person were married, a prediction was cast.

With great care, she placed a 10-yen coin on top of it, the weight causing the paper to dip slightly into the water. It began to drift lazily across the surface, swaying with the ripples.

Kazi squatted beside her, resting his elbows on his knees as he watched the ritual unfold.

"So, what happens now? It sinks and then... true love?" Pauline asked. "Honestly, that sounds exciting! Exceeept that’s not what happened with everyone in front of us. I wished somebody would come out of it, you know. Dripping in water, probably naked..."

"What if a couple comes here?"

"The water attacks them and they get...Okay, never mind."

Kazi shot her a sidelong glance. He was going to do his best not to judge her. "If it sinks quickly, it means your soulmate will arrive soon. If it takes a while, well..." He shrugged. "Patience is a virtue."

"And the distance from where you placed it?"

"Where my soulmate might be. Close or far," he said.

Pauline laughed. "And what if it just... floats forever? What does that mean?"

"Then you’re destined to roam the earth alone."

Another laugh, louder and happier. "Sounds dramatic. I think I like my odds though."

They fell into a comfortable silence. The quiet of the shrine wrapping around them and the . The paper drifted farther, then began to sink gently, the water curling up around its edges.

"Looks like it’s sinking," Kazi observed. "And not too far from where you dropped it. Guess your soulmate’s nearby, huh?"

Pauline smiled, her gaze soft as she watched the paper vanish beneath the water. "Seems that way."

"Congratulations," Kazi said, clapping his hands together in mock applause. "True love’s just around the corner. Better start looking around."

They laughed and sat there for a moment, watching the ripples spread across the pond. Luckily, no one else was behind them. They were at the end of the line. The paper was gone, the ritual complete, and nothing but life to experience.

"You said you’ve done something like this?" Pauline asked, breaking the silence.

"Never been here specifically but yeah. I’ve been to my fair share of shrines. Travelled a lot, you know. Seen all kinds of rituals and traditions."

"And?"

"And they’re all kind of like this," he said. "People hoping for something. Peace, love, luck... whatever. It’s human, I guess."

Pauline looked at him, her expression thoughtful. "You know, Kazi, you’re really easy to trust and to talk to."

"Thank you."

"So much so that it makes trusting other people a bit difficult." Pauline drew in a breath. "Ah, never mind."

’That wand you used: someone gifted it. Pauline must be...’

"You finally found people to support you. You’ve gotten stronger too. You spent your points, the past is the past. Don’t look back. Not yet. When the time comes for introspection, you’ll know."

"You make it sound so easy." Pauline closed her eyes, then smiled brightly. "Like always, you’re right."

"Haha, maybe not always," he said, his tone noncommittal. Then he stood, brushing off his pants. "Whether you’re a fortune teller, a pond, a god, or a supercomputer, you can’t always be correct."

Pauline rose as well, smoothing her skirt. "The day you’re wrong is the day I die, Kazi."

"Oh? Do you finally remember who I am?"

"...no. B-but I’m close, trust me. I’m bad with names and faces. Kazi...Kazi...were you my bodyguard when I was twe—"

"Nope, we met way later."

"Childhood friend? Right?"

"Not a childhood friend."

"Darn it. Can’t you..." Pauline trailed off. "Woah. Do you feel that?"

Yes, he did. A chill went down Kazi’s spine.

Then the chill throughout his feet. A vibration, a tremble, a dark mana.

The ground was shaking. The ripples on the Mirror Pond turned to chaotic waves. Kazi immediately steadied himself, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his katana. Pauline, standing nearby, swayed and would have fell down if not for Kazi stabbing his katana and getting her to use it as leverage.

"Well," Kazi muttered, gazing westward where the lake would be. "Looks like the big guy’s waking up early."

Pauline turned her gaze toward Lake Shinji as well, blocked by Matsue and everything in between. Like it mattered. Everyone could feel the lake. Gaze at it. The ground continued to rumble, faint echoes of something awakening. The vibrations weren’t just physical—they carried a heavy weight of mana, prickling the skin, almost sickening it.

"They said this might happen," Pauline said, hands tight on the katana. "Merde, it’s doing all this just by opening its eyes?"

"I figured an early awakening was a possibility," Kazi replied, cranking toward the lake and then Castle Matsue. "But still, this is earlier than I’d hoped."

A low, guttural noise reached them, distant but unmistakable. The sound of something massive stirring, something unnatural and wrong. Kazi clicked his tongue in irritation.

"I’m going to blast off and check out the lake," he said, turning toward Pauline. "Are you sure you’ll be okay?"

Pauline smiled faintly. "And if I said I wasn’t?"

"You’ll be alright."

"Aw, and here I wanted a hero’s protection."

"I’ll take that as a compliment," he shot back with a grin. Then his expression turned serious. "Stay sharp. Head to Matsue Castle. Samantha and the others should be there."

Pauline nodded, her eyes flicking toward the direction of the castle. "Yes, I see it. But Kazi...please don’t die out there."

"Wouldn’t dream of it." Kazi was already moving toward the open path leading to the lake. His movements were fluid and quick, his form disappearing into the forest canopy in seconds.

******

The path to Lake Shinji was of chaos and struggle. Trees swayed violently, dislodging branches and leaves that dropped and smacked. Kazi sprinted over the undergrowth, beams of mana underneath. An early awakening meant less monsters from Bake-kujira and less time to prepare for Kazi.

’Disadvantages on both sides.’

After the trees was Matsue itself. Chaos, panic, screaming, and civilians running consumed the previous stillness. Not peace, stillness. They all knew this would be coming. They were ready and evacuated to the safe locations so fast that it impressed Kazi.

At where the boats were docked, where he slayed those thousand monsters on his very first day, he encountered the samurai getting into the boats and into formation. Same with the players. Depending on how this went, the first couple steps would be skipped.

It would be a crushing defeat.

"Yoemon!" Kazi yelled. When he reached the edge of the lake’s eastern side, the five students of Miyamoto Musashi were already off in a large boat. "Hold on! Let me check things out first! We sent people to check on the monster, remember! Let me pull them before things get messy!"

The four samurai heard Kazi, and Mikinosuke and Yoemon gestured and ordered everyone to listen. The Bake-kujira was not in view. Better not to rush in yet.

"Allow the Otherworlder to scope! Allow us to gather our men in full!"

"Go north, go where the plan is supposed to begin! Don’t let it falter just because it woke up early! We can do this!"

"What of you then? Will you hold it off?" Mikinosuke asked, voice booming. "You will die!"

"I won’t die. I’ll save everyone, hold back the Bake-kujira, and set the plan in motion. Trust. Me."

So Kazi ran, tiny platforms under his feet and rocketing like a jet. All the samurai could do was believe in the godlike human.