Yamata-no-Orochi 2

The smooth scales of a serpent's body brushed past Alex as he opened his eyes to the familiar surroundings of his own soul realm and a strange tingling sensation.

Encircled around him were the waist-height coils of a large serpent's shimmering scaly body, which invaded his soul realm as Alex looked around for the head, or maybe seven other heads.

He turned around to face Orochi sitting on the top of the serpent's with his legs dangling between the eyes of the horrendous creature which reared up in a towering, striking position.

A smug looking Orochi had the upper hand by being on high ground while trapping Alex with nowhere to flee, despite being in his own soul realm.

*Ssssshhhhh*

Alex could hear the rattling hiss of a few snakes in the darkness within his soul realm, but he couldn't see anything except dark, moving bodies.

"Are you going to eat my soul?" Alex blurted out in panic, without thinking through the words.

Alex cussed silently at the slip of the tongue - he meant to ask what Orochi was planning to do to him.

A corner of Orochi's curved but thin lips curled upward into a coy smirk, then his index finger pointed to his temple and circling it, much to Alex's mixed feelings of relief and humiliation. "Are you mad? I don't want to deal with Arahabaki."

The silky smooth tone of Orochi made him cringe, despite the common sense that no one wants to deal with Arahabaki in a bad mood, not even Takamagahara.

Deep within Alex was this hesitancy to be connected with Arahabaki while helpful. He could foresee their connection as a future problem later if he ever fell out with the Jomon god and his annoying quirks.

"Then…"

"Curiosity," Orochi replied with a shrug of his shoulders as he patted the serpent on its head while the creature hissed softly. "Arahabaki himself never bothers with newcomers. So why you?"

"Beats me."

"Let's see here. You can't mind shield easily. Your reaction is slow. And you are going to deal with the Tengu just to get some stupid weapon," Orochi hopped off and landed gracefully while the serpent who lowered its head to its master.

"Well, those are the instructions left behind."

"So that's the infamous training plan - sink or swim in the deep blue ocean," Orochi mused in sarcasm, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Alex scratched his head as he searched for the words to describe his current situation. He was cautious of the fact that anything he said could return to Kanghui's ears.

"Without a weapon from Kanayago —"

"Did they say you have to get it from Kanayago?" Orochi cut him off. "The rules only specify a weapon. Even your marker has a weapon from another world."

Alex frowned at his words. There was no reason Kanghui would lie to him. Wouldn't the Mishakuji point out anything to the contrary, instead of obliging?

"Migrant primeval beings stick to what the older ones tell them to do. Kanayago isn't the only one capable of forging a weapon meant for those who have shrines."

"Why wouldn't the Mishakuji say anything, then?" Alex asked.

"The Mishakuji doesn't answer what we do not ask. only what we ask gets a pertinent answer," Orochi replied while looking around. "Like, asking them to help a pipsqueak, and the Mishakuji will say yay or nay, but nothing more."

The way Orochi surveyed his soul realm made Alex uncomfortable, even though he sensed no danger emanating from the serpent being.

Unlike the first time when he depended on others to break out of his own soul realm, Alex could do something about the intruding serpents and Orochi.

He sought to calm himself while focusing on getting out of the soul realm. Alex closed his eyes, concentrating on a single flash meandering in his line of sight under the shut lid.

The tingling warmth of the flash grew into a flicker of flame and the energy wave grew heated within his own form hastening towards the flash point in his self imposed blindness. As the flame grew, it split into several small flames and a sudden combustion built into a conflagration of a screeching, flaming bird soaring upwards.

"Now I know why," Orochi's voice spoke, still calm without a smidgeon of panic.

"HEY! DON'T BURN ME!"

That screeching holler wasn't Orochi's voice, but Yata's. Alex opened his eyes to Yata, who was jumping around trying to put out the wildly dancing flames on his smoldering jeans, and the crunched up face of Shimoji trying to help put out the flames by beating it with his own hands.

Orochi yawned at the spectacle, relatively untouched, and sitting on the rock, looking at the go board, looking bored.

"Maybe he has some hope of roasting some Tengu. Roasted birds are always tasty, not so much roasted spiders," Orochi said while pointing a finger at Yata and a fountain of water sprung forth from the tip, showering both Yata and Shamoji, drenching them as the flames died down.

Then a crack rang out. Both were frozen in front of Alex while he could make out their confused faces.

"Oops winter, I forgot," Orochi said.

"Do I um… melt them with my fire?" Alex asked, although he didn't really know how to command the overpowering energy wave of Chongli, other than to pretend he was in danger.

"Fancy some soul stones?"

"What do you mean?" Alex asked.

"That fire of yours would melt the ice along with them," Orochi said, and covered his yawning mouth. "You barely control it. Only how to release it if you feel threatened. Big or small fire, no one knows."

"When will this ice melt?"

*Crack*

The ice shattered with the crack as Shamoji stepped out over the sharp edges of the ice tomb around him. With his finger tapping on Yata's ice prison, another loud crack caused the ice to crumble.

Both didn't look pleased when they threw a murderous glare at Alex, who shrunk back, while Orochi flashed him a big toothy smile with the fang-like canines showing.

"Shamoji, did the rules of enshrinement change?" Orochi asked, distracting Shamoji while Yata clenched his fist tightly and shook it at Alex menacingly.

"What do you mean?"

"That they have to get a weapon from Kanagayo?"

"Well, that's the convenient way of getting a soul weapon, but Takamagahara has not changed those rules. As long as anyone have soul sword, they can be undergo the enshrinement by Takamagahara," Shamoji replied.

"Convenient?" Both Alex and Yata spoke at the same time.

"Convenient doesn't mean easy," Shamoji replied. "Better than trying to wreck your soul core to produce one or trying to get to the legendary weapons like many of us old timers."

"What's the difference between the three processes?" Yata asked.

"Kanagayo forges the weapon, then you fuse it in your soul realm. Convenient. Only risk is getting to her and making her agree. The other two processes, wrecking the soul core is self explanatory and wrecking a core means shearing your soul to smithereens, but trying to get to a legendary weapon is far worse than trying Kanagayo," Shamoji explained.

"So three forms of suicidal methods to arrive at the same result?" Alex mumbled.

Little wonder why Kanghui would not mention those two other methods.

"Nay. A legendary weapon," Orochi grinned, "means it will unlock every single potential in you. Even hidden ones. What takes a few millennia to train will take a few centuries."

Alex noticed a gleam in Yata's eyes but before any of them can ask, Shamoji said, "A legendary weapon has a soul you need to tame and owning it means bending it to your will. That can take centuries, too."

Yata's face drooped as his body slouched as though his dreams went bust.

"Most of the old timers up in Takamagahara and even other factions tend to use the soul core method. Because the weapon grows in power with the user like an extension. Kanagayo's made weapon and the legendary ones have to keep undergoing fusing over a certain period of use," Shamoji added.

"Then what's your weapon?" Alex asked.

"All Mishakuji and even Orochi soul core weaponised our snake forms. We are our own weapons."

"TADA!" Orochi yelled with his outstretched hands as eight serpents burst forth from his back, swaying and hissing with their reddish eyes. "And those are my weapons."

"But didn't the legend mention Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi as the sword that sorta slayed…" Alex faltered off as Orochi raised his eyebrow.

"I don't know how much the humans messed up the legend over history but any sword rumoured to have killed are called Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, the Sword of Ten Breadths, Worochi-no-Aramasa, Snake killer, or Ama-no-Habakiri, Blade of Heavenly Wings," Orochi rubbed his chin in thought.

"So what is Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, really? Is it really an offering? "

"Well, Susanoo offered it to Amateru for one reason, and Amateru dropped it back down to me," Orochi winked mischievously.

"Eh?" Yata uttered, surprised at his words while Shamoji pursed his lips to keep mum.

"Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi's name is Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, the Heavenly Sword of Cloud Gathering, and part of my soul core. It gives off a venomous vapour, poisonous to all primeval beings. It can unravel their energy waves over time," Orochi shrugged. "Benefits of ripping from your own core. No one can steal the weapon."

"So how many weapons can I or Yata actually get?"

"From Kanagayo, once and recorded against you. Lose it and you cannot go that route again. Legendary and soul core ripped weapons, as many as you can. Legendary weapons consume a lot of soul stones to wield, and additional for use of their special ability, but a soul core one, as many soul stones as you can consume to replenish your energy waves," Shamoji said.

Orochi stood up and walked over to Alex as his eyes ran up and down. "If I were you, rip from your soul core. Your blade will be fiery, all fire."

"What about me?" Yata asked.

"You are better off with Kanagayo. Unless you want a fishing net as a weapon, spider," Orochi replied.

"So, which do I choose?" Alex asked. "Kanagayo or ripping myself to pieces for a weapon?"