The Shrine of a Mountain 2

"Women, women, women. All you can talk about is flirting with humans!" Yata spat in disgust, clenching his fists at the thought. "Besides, we don't feel—"

Yata's outburst only drew stares of amusement from the two primeval beings while Alex stood by, puzzled by Yata's frustration. For a second, Yata acted like a serious celibate monk with genuine disdain for the chicks.

To Alex, the conversation was more interesting, given his ladies of experience with the female species.

He glanced at Yata with the pallor drained, fist clenched and anger glowing in his eyes radiating outwards, and wondered why Yata reacted with agitation. To Alex, the conversation was like a bunch of guys talking about tits and ass around the bar.

The environment might be wrong when it's the shrine which represented the bar. However, the two serpent beings acted like typical lecherous blokes, with a sake bar at full personal disposal.

Unfortunately, they didn't look too drunk , like those men who made their lewd comments out of drunken reverie.

Still, Alex thought, even with Orochi's and Ōmononushi's sharp features, the air of confidence and devilish charms, their exploits regaled and the conquests were believable.

No surprise if women tried to get a tad touchy freely with the two. Then Alex looked at himself and wished he could be like the two serpent beings in their human forms.

"You haven't refined your powers enough to form a body capable of feeling the pleasures of the flesh. That body of yours can only deceive the humans into believing that you are one of them," Ōmononushi cut Yama off.

"I see this one hasn't dated his fellow jorogumo," Orochi guffawed loudly while Ōmononushi attempted to knock Orochi with the empty barrel gripped in his hands, but the barrel suddenly vanished.

"Orochi, his female species are perilous to his health," Ōmononushi berated Orochi while Alex watched the exchange passively.

At the very least, Yata entered the limelight, not him. Alex needed to stay out of the overwhelming attention thrown in his way since he entered the Hidden Dimension.

Less attention was better. After all, Orochi, Ōmononushi and Yata were never once humans despite their powerful yet deceitful shape shifting ability to meld into human society.

The strong urge to stand up for Yata could not overcome Alex's survival instinct and desire to avoid conflict.

Alex bit his lips, knowing any interference would cause him to be singled out instead of Yata. Besides, the conversation was mundane and harmless compared to the threat of the beast kings.

"They are dominatrix who enjoy tying up males," Orochi said.

"Once you get entangled in their web, NO WAY OF ESCAPE!" Yata yelled.

"That's because you are too weak. Weak. Weak. Weak. Rules of the universe, survival of the fittest," Orochi replied dismissively.

"Speaking from personal experience?" Ōmononushi asked, turning his gaze on Orochi.

"They rope you up with the silk for the suck first," Orochi said as he glanced around, savouring the uneasy looks on everyone in the awkward moment with their eyes trained on him and then paused.

Raising up his finger, with a sly grin and a sparkle in his eyes, Orochi leaned in like a suspenseful storyteller about to deliver the punchline as the rest also followed closer to listen. "When they come up close…"

Then a purplish mist flowed from Orochi's mouth as Ōmononushi scrambled away from him, followed by Yama, who pulled Alex, the last one standing near Orochi, away.

Alas, Alex caught a whiff of the gas and slumped down on the floor, groaning and moaning with his hands moving all over his body while Yata's eyes grew wide. "W-what was that and what is he doing?"

"Fuck. Did you just —"

"Don't worry, not poison. Just hallucinatory miasma. He's having a time of his life," Orochi cut Ōmononushi off in nonchalance.

"How long will his um… hallucination last?" Yata pointed at a squirming, giggling Alex.

"Better question yet… what type of fantasy is he in?"

"Whatever his mind can bring him," Orochi replied. "All those pent-up frustrations of dying a virgin."

The two snickered in front of Yata, who shifted uncomfortably.

"You can tell?" Ōmononushi asked.

"Isn't it obvious? He has been listening in more with interest than the spider in our exploits," Orochi shrugged. "The behaviour screams virgin to me."

"So d-did you really try the female species of my kind?" Yata asked, out of growing curiosity.

Orochi nodded and Yata turned to Ōmononushi who waved his hand. "Not with a ten-foot pole. Only Orochi here likes rough play."

"The more dangerous, the better. Conquest is the game, and that's a method of feeding," Orochi laughed as he helped himself to another barrel of sake.

"Now down to serious business," Orochi's smile faded into seriousness.

"Right!" Ōmononushi jumped up and straightened his kariginu out.

Yata stared at both of them in surprise. So knocking Alex out cold was part of their plan. All that talk was a distraction.

"Why him?" Yata pointed with a trembling finger at Alex. The fear of the unknown, especially what they may do to Alex, worried him.

"He isn't one of us. You depend on us. He doesn't," Ōmononushi said.

True, the Mishakuji formed a relationship, akin to a mentor to Yata, even if Kanghui had taken his brothers and him into her safe zone when they fled from their grandmother spider who planned on cannibalising them for soul stones.

Between Kanghui and the Mishakuji, Yata found himself stuck in the middle of both. Then Kanghui's words echoed in his head: 'trust no one, not even those closest to you.'

"Don't worry, we won't harm him," Orochi added, throwing a cold hard glance at Alex, which sent shivers up Yata's back.

Trust no one, the echo repeated, depressing Yata even more in the predicament he found himself wedged in. An irate Orochi tutted with a look of contempt after studying his face but said no more.

Those serpent primeval beings didn't become powerful by being merciful. Sheer wit, their numbers and cunning aided their continued survival. Kanghui once told Yata a long time ago that of all the primeval beings, those of the serpent kind trust their own over others. Until proven otherwise.

Envy filled Yata up as he recalled how his kind would rather eat their own than protect their kind. Unity among spider beings was rare.

A female spider caused his death before he evolved after death. Yata's killer, a female jorogumo spider, found him and his brothers, still juveniles and not matured, sitting on the web. Then she pounced on them.

That was the last Yata recalled. Then only to find himself at the mercy of another female spider, whom he recognized as the soul of his ancestral grandmother. The very one which gifted his brothers and him the bloodline to evolve was the one seeking to eradicate their existence for power gain.

The trauma seared into Yata, forming a mental tattoo that the deadliest species are females. Including Kanghui. He never found out why a primeval being, a total stranger, would protect him and even teach him for centuries.

Sympathy is a simpleton's explanation in Yata's mind.

Ōmononushi waved his hand over the altar of the shrine and a circular formation in a strange snake-like script appeared, almost similar to Orochi's earlier portal.

The strange glow distracted Yata from his thoughts as he gaze into the forming aperture, which slowly unravelled a view of an underground garden under some strange shimmery light and a cavern's jagged limestone as the portal grew in size.

"My lair, safe grounds. Because I don't expect the beast kings will relent once they arrive here."

If serpent beings held fame for anything, their built lairs were fortresses with ambush traps. Yata heard of the lairs but never seen one, not even Kanghui, who built the safe grounds which could fend off his hungry, powerful grandmother of a spider.

"Where is that at the end of the portal?" Yata peered at the end of the portal, studying the strange garden.

"Should I knock him out too?" Orochi asked, revealing his fang-like canines in his smile as Yata reeled back.

"Only if he keeps asking questions," Ōmononushi replied and faced Yata while pointing at a giggling Alex rolling about. "Bring him into the portal."

"Orochi, coming?" Ōmononushi asked while Orochi rubbed his chin with a frown.

"Do you REALLY need me?"