Chapter 137: Naturalistic Savagery! Pt 11

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Mishiro's POV (West River Plains of Irminsul - Terra)

Sending off Leifazu had been an easy choice; the newly gendered woman would surely be strong enough to survive the hostile environment and retrieve their hired help. Also her absence would allow Mishiro some peace of mind. Yet, as the hours dragged on, it became clear to Mishiro that something had happened. Mishiro knew Leifazu hadn't died, the seal related to Leifazu's revival would notify her of such, nor was it likely Leifazu had been captured or killed; she and all of those under Ikam's trusted staff were gifted with suicide seals for that very purpose. More than likely, they had been spread out more than she had thought. Leifazu was likely searching far and wide for their help. A thought that admittedly brought Mishiro some joy.

Mishiro had at first further ensured the security of their temporary camp while waiting. But that had been relatively simple for Fuijutsu master like herself. And waiting had quickly grown boring. Once she was confident the camp protected her in her absence, she finally set off with her Love's seal complete. The mechanisms of said seal were simple, and she could've made her own. But Ikam had made this seal formula, which meant the seal would operate on levels that no other seal could hope to compare to. It was a seemingly simple two rods connected by chakra thread, but a considerable chakra source would make it glow a certain color when pointed at it. It even glowed in different colors based on the type of chakra source. Blue represented humans or summoning animals—beings with more chakra and complex chakra networks. Red represented natural sources of chakra-like trees and simplistic wildlife. Relatively weak but consistent signal. However, purple was what Mishiro sought; purple represented an absurd chakra level in both the living and nonliving senses. Something that Ikam had theorized must exist for the two worlds to be linked. For them to be interlocked as they were there must be an anchor of sorts. Ikam had suggested there was an overlay somewhere, some force that kept them attracted to each other yet kept them separated. It would surely be a world-entwining chakra link, allowing the two worlds to interact without the two becoming one. If such a thing existed and someone were to potentially gain control of it. Well they would be able to separate the worlds. Or at least the connection, If Ikam's theory were correct, it would ensure their enemies lose access to one of the best shinobi practices in the world. Their enemies would never be able to summon again, weakening everyone. Everyone except them, something that would be more than useful for the latter stages of Ikam's plan. It also assured one of the few potential pitfalls of his plan would not come to be, some absurd happening that struck true fear in the man's heart. Something he would not fully discuss with even her…

With Ikam's seal, finding the area had become simple. While it only measured chakra masses, it became clear where her objective lay. There was only one of it's color and it had been a massive source of chakra, even bigger than Ikam had theorized. Ikam's primary object had been the hypothetical anchor. And as he had theorized, such an object was made solely of condensed powerful chakra. So her direction had become clear, Mishiro confident she would find it off this signature. Merely a treacherous hike led to a massive ravine, a vast jagged line that cut the river-speckled plains in two. Several of said rivers flowed directly into the Ravine; it all fell and converged at the bottom of the Ravine, violently being swirled by the mere presence of chakra, water writhed and chaotically forming a water spout that surged high up into the very sky. The water eventually fell and caused a drizzle to surround the area. A blindingly glowing orb of pure chakra was in the center of the water twister. Its latent power seemingly shakes the earth around it. Mishiro could feel the hairs on her body stand on end.

'So My Love was right. It seems there is some physical manifestation of this link. The anchor seems to be a dense, volatile chakra core. Even approaching could be dangerous, not above her ability, but something she would struggle with. Ikam had seemingly thought so, warning her the task would not be easy even if they encountered no opposition. But Mishiro must admit, she was unsure why her love was so concerned. She was more than skilled enough to handle this. 'May as well accomplish this part of the mission for now.' But mere seconds before Mishiro leaped into the Ravine to start her mission, she saw that it could've killed her.

Her glance before had missed several key details. Surrounding the chakra's core were several building-sized golems, roughly assembled out of mud, stone, clay, and all sorts of natural minerals and materials. Each was a simple mass of matter in vague, often disproportionate, human shape, except where a man would have a head; the stone creatures had chakra orbs. Each looked similar to the chakra anchor but was much smaller and less blinding. 'Seems to be some sort of guardians. They surely will be hardy, but nothing can stop me from-' Mishiro cringed when she heard a deafening whiff of air. A massive bird, easily the largest she had ever seen, hovered over the Ravine. She watched as the massive bird screeched with a deafening roar of defiance, filling the air with chakra and killing intent. Mishiro had never seen such a fierce sparrow in her life. And its eyes made it clear it was here for the core, just as Mishiro was.

Somewhat unnervingly, the seven golems froze instantly, each seemingly looking up at the bird.

"We are the Golems tasked with protecting the Core Convergence Point. Neither you nor any other creature are allowed to interact with it. Should you attempt to do so, we shall slay you as is our purpose."