Chapter 45: The Quest for the Living and Death Umbrella

"Kurogami Masayuki, Mizuchi Haruka, wake up quickly! It's time for us to take action against that vile Ryujin Tetsu!" Snow Sky-Dog urgently roused his two close friends from their deep slumber. It was now 3 a.m., and they were still sound asleep! They looked so peaceful as if everything was alright! But while they drifted into the world of dreams, the wretched Ryujin Tetsu was on his way to eliminate the owner of the 'Umbrella of Life and Death' to claim this magical artifact for himself.

"Let me sleep a little longer! It's too early to wake up now, why do we have to set out before dawn has even broken in the sky!" Kurogami Masayuki said as he pulled the comforter tightly around his body. "Why did you wake me up instead of Mizuchi Haruka, Snow Sky-Dog?" Kurogami Masayuki spoke with his eyes still closed. He seemed deliberately unwilling to leave his long and wide bed.

"Big brother, Kurogami Masayuki, why did you redirect Snow Sky-Dog's waking force towards me? I have nothing to do with this! Let me sleep, you two are so noisy!" Mizuchi Haruka also wrapped herself in her thick and warm duck-down blanket.

"But while you two are sleeping so soundly like this, that wretch Ryujin Tetsu is on his way to find the owner of the 'Umbrella of Life and Death' to eliminate him! If that scoundrel gets hold of the 'Umbrella of Life and Death,' perhaps the next victim he will eliminate will be our master. He might even kill our master to steal the 'Gem of Four Souls' from him. And think about it, if everything happens as I say, then who will be Ryujin Tetsu's next victim? If not the three gods of us, then who else? You two, think about it, such a great danger is knocking at our door, and you're still sleeping so soundly here!" Snow Sky-Dog exclaimed, perhaps this brave god was truly scared and worried!

"What? Is that true, Snow Sky-Dog? This is serious! Then let's wake up now, Mizuchi Haruka, we must set out immediately!" Kurogami Masayuki hastily got up. The world of dreams he was immersed in suddenly vanished. His warm duck-down blanket flew down to the floor. Kurogami Masayuki looked frantic and panicked. He tried his best to shake Mizuchi Haruka's shoulders vigorously to wake her up from the beautiful dream she was immersed in.

"Alright, alright! Kurogami Masayuki, Snow Sky-Dog, I'm awake now too! If this is so important, then I can't be a sleeping princess in this situation! Right, Snow Sky-Dog, my love? Right, Kurogami Masayuki, my big brother, who always helps me in this academy?" Mizuchi Haruka also got up from her cozy bed. The duck-down blanket that she held tightly a few minutes ago now flew up into the air and then fell to the floor.

"So let's go right now, there's not much time left! The location is the haunted forest in the Youkai world, nearby there is a very large mountain, and our goal is that mountain. We must quickly approach that target before that scoundrel Ryujin Tetsu. Otherwise, the 'Umbrella of Life and Death' owner will be eliminated!" Snow Sky-Dog deliberately emphasized each word to convey the full content and significance of his extremely important message.

"Do you mean the owner of the 'Umbrella of Life and Death' is on that mountain, right, Snow Sky-Dog?" Mizuchi Haruka asked Snow Sky-Dog, her sea-blue eyes shining with wisdom.

"You're almost right, Mizuchi Haruka! But in your statement, there's still a place that needs to be corrected to make it reasonable! The owner of the 'Umbrella of Life and Death' has possessed it for many centuries, he is a youkai with a shape similar to a giant mountain. If he shrinks himself and sleeps, he looks just like a mountain. We have to save him before he's eliminated by Ryujin Tetsu!"

"What? Really? How do you know this secret, Snow Sky-Dog?" Mizuchi Haruka exclaimed in surprise, even though she was born in the world of gods, she still felt amazed by such a strange thing.

"It was in the letter from Seraphina Frostwind that told me!"

"What? Did you stay up all night waiting for the carrier pigeon to deliver this letter from Seraphina Frostwind to you?" Kurogami Masayuki exclaimed in surprise. He felt a bit of admiration for Snow Sky-Dog's concentration, sense of responsibility, willpower, patience, and self-control. Now there was a question occupying his mind, why did their master, The Water Ancestor of the Gods, not appoint Snow Sky-Dog, the eldest, as his favorite disciple, but chose him, Kurogami Masayuki, as the most favored student?

"Yes, I stayed up all night waiting for the letter to be delivered by Seraphina Frostwind's carrier pigeon!"

"So while waiting, you were in a state of complete immobility, completely motionless, completely silent, just like a statue, right?" Mizuchi Haruka spoke up, unable to hide her astonishment.

"That's right, it was too easy for me! Do you have any opinion on this, Mizuchi Haruka?" Snow Sky-Dog replied to Mizuchi Haruka. Even in such dire circumstances, he still spoke to women with a very 'cool' style. But this style made Mizuchi Haruka somewhat embarrassed.

"I... I have no opinion! I just want to ask if you know his name, the name of the owner of the 'Umbrella of Life and Death'?"

"The letter didn't mention it. I only saw Seraphina Frostwind write 'Mountain Demon'."

"Is the Mountain Demon a kind youkai, Snow Sky-Dog?"

"He is a good youkai! In Seraphina Frostwind's letter, she mentioned that she was once cared for by the 'Mountain Demon' when she was little."

"Wow! So that girl Seraphina Frostwind, your girlfriend, is hiding a very big secret! I don't think she's a pure human! Maybe she's like you, maybe she also has half-blood of youkai!" Kurogami Masayuki reasoned very reasonably, very unexpectedly, even in such moments, he still had such sharp thinking! Perhaps that's why their master, The Water Ancestor of the Gods, chose him as his most favored student instead of Snow Sky-Dog, and even less so than Mizuchi Haruka. "Then we must quickly go and save the Mountain Demon!

The words of Snow Sky-Dog made Kurogami Masayuki and Mizuchi Haruka realize that the time to act had come. It seemed that the threat from Ryujin Tetsu harbored a great danger, not only to the owner of the 'Umbrella of Life and Death,' but also to the world of youkai and the world of the gods, and even the Human World.

The two young gods stood up, ready to fight for a higher purpose than their own lives. Snow Sky-Dog firmly grasped his power, guiding them on a difficult but no longer postponable journey.

Stepping out of the peaceful house, they saw a sky full of stars, with only the dim light of the moon and a few passing clouds. It felt like they were entering an adventure that couldn't be foreseen, but at the same time, it was an opportunity for them to demonstrate their courage and bravery.

Kurogami Masayuki, Mizuchi Haruka, and Snow Sky-Dog - three young gods full of potential- would face challenges and dangers they had never experienced before. This journey was not only about saving a friend but also about discovering themselves and understanding the world around them. And then, the mysteries and fierce battles would continue to unfold, pushing them into new and more exciting adventures than ever before.