Umeboshi trial

Umeboshi had been walking for hours—or at least it felt that way. In the strange realm he had mysteriously found himself in, it was impossible to tell the time. The mountain he traversed was very similar to Mount Osore from the real world, yet it was simultaneously different, an eerie reflection of the legendary site he vaguely remembered.

His knowledge of the actual Mount Osore was limited. He and his mother had left Japan for the United States when he was still young. Even so, he knew that the real Mount Osore was far more impressive than the legends and folklore described. The same could be said for the Sanzu River and its famed bridge.

"Man, does this goddamned mountain ever end? How long have I been climbing uphill?" he muttered to himself, frustration bubbling up.

For reasons he couldn't explain, Umeboshi pressed on toward the mountain's peak. The higher he climbed, the more he noticed the dense vegetation surrounding him. Towering trees stretched so high that they seemed to pierce the heavens, obscuring any view of the sky in this strange dimension.

He hacked his way through the thick foliage, swinging his wooden staff left and right to clear a path. Each swipe echoed with dull thuds against the undergrowth, a monotonous task that was quickly becoming tiresome.

"Man, isn't this mountain supposed to be crawling with spirits? At this rate, it's going to take me days to find the Six Damn Mon!"

As Umeboshi pressed forward, a familiar smell reached his nose—the sharp, metallic tang of blood. He frowned, his grip tightening on his wooden staff. The scent grew stronger as he hacked his way through the dense undergrowth, his movements slowing with apprehension.

Eventually, his path opened up to a strange sight: a massive tree with crimson leaves towering high into the sky. Unlike the other trees, which were clustered tightly together, this one stood completely isolated, as though the surrounding vegetation refused to grow near it. The eerie stillness around the tree made his skin crawl. His instincts screamed at him to turn back—that approaching it meant certain death.

Taking a cautious step forward, with no intention of getting any closer to the crimson-leaved tree, Umeboshi felt something soft beneath his foot. He froze and quickly glanced down.

There, sprawled lifeless on the ground, was a small humanoid figure about the size of a child. Its body was a bizarre mix of yellow and blue, its skin slick like a frog's. Webbed hands and feet stuck out awkwardly, and a turtle-like carapace rested on its back. Most notably, the dish on its head—one he vaguely remembered from old stories—was shattered.

The creature's body looked horrifyingly desiccated, as though every drop of blood had been drained from it. Umeboshi's eyes widened as he stared at the corpse in disbelief.

"Is that... a kappa?" he muttered, his voice filled with shock.

The dead figure at his feet was indeed a kappa, one of the yokai he'd read about in Japanese folklore. For a moment, Umeboshi stood frozen, trying to process what he was seeing. He had never truly believed in yokai before. Then again, if ghosts like him were real, perhaps it wasn't so far-fetched to think that yokai and other spiritual beings existed too.

"What the hell!?" Umeboshi exclaimed, still reeling from the sight.

His eyes scanned the ground surrounding the crimson-leaved tree, and his heart sank. Hundreds of lifeless kappa littered the area, their desiccated bodies sprawled in unnatural positions. But it wasn't just kappa—other strange, incomprehensible creatures were scattered among them. Their bizarre forms defied logic, and each one appeared to have been completely drained of life, their essence stolen by some unseen force.

Taking a shaky step back, Umeboshi let out a nervous chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm not going any closer to that tree."

His instincts screamed at him, louder than ever, urging him to get away. It was so overwhelming that it felt like he had an entirely new sense, one tuned specifically to warn him of danger.

He turned to retreat, only to step on something else. His stomach dropped as he glanced down, expecting another corpse. But this time, it was only a branch.

Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the branches behind him suddenly sprang to life, twisting and weaving together to block his path. In seconds, the way he had come was completely sealed off, leaving him trapped. Umeboshi stared in shock as the dense network of branches formed an impenetrable barrier.

"What the hell is this about!?" he yelled, gripping his staff tightly.

Without hesitation, he swung his staff with all the force he could muster. The blow was strong enough to shatter even the most durable concrete walls, but the branches didn't so much as crack. He struck again and again, frustration mounting with each swing.

The branches refused to yield.

As Umeboshi turned back toward the crimson-leaved tree, he froze. The tree's form was shifting, deforming—or perhaps taking on an entirely new shape. He couldn't be sure. Tightening his grip on his wooden staff, he lowered himself into a battle stance.

Whatever happened to all those spirits, it's pretty damn obvious that this tree is the culprit. And now I'm trapped here with it… looks like I walked right into a trap, he thought grimly.

Before he could form another thought, multiple branches shot toward him at terrifying speed. It was a horrifying sight—dozens of writhing limbs lunging toward him like spears. Umeboshi barely had a second to react.

He swung his staff, colliding with one of the branches. The force of the impact shocked him, the branch's strength far beyond anything he'd expected. The blow sent him hurtling backward, slamming him into the trunk of a nearby tree.

Coughing and breathing heavily, Umeboshi steadied himself, trying to recover from the impact.

"What the hell?" he muttered. "Why is this goddamned tree so strong? Is this some divine punishment? God's work to humble me with monsters every damn time?"

Shaking off the pain, he spotted his staff lying on the ground a few feet away. He reached for it, his grip tightening as a cocky grin spread across his face.

"Whatever," he said, his voice steady despite the situation. "I've been humbled and thrown to the ground my whole life. And every single time, I've gotten back up and given those bastards a piece of my mind! You're not going to be the exception, you ugly tree!"

With that, Umeboshi dashed forward, his determination surging. The branches came at him again, faster than before, moving with the speed of bullets. He didn't flinch. His goal was clear—he would cut that cursed tree down, even if it meant using nothing but his wooden staff.

He clashed with a branch and was sent flying into a nearby tree. Gritting his teeth, Umeboshi got back up, only to be struck again and hurled into another tree. Over and over, it repeated—he clashed with the relentless branches, was thrown back, then rose to his feet to face them once more.

Every time he tried to close the distance, the branches lashed out with brutal precision, denying him any chance to approach the tree. His face was now streaked with blood, bruises forming on his body from the repeated impacts. Yet, despite the pain, his lips curled into a determined grin.

"Ahh… I don't see it," he muttered through labored breaths, his voice laced with frustration.

What he couldn't see was an opening. No matter what strategy he attempted—going left, right, or even using the surrounding trees as cover to strike from an unexpected angle—the crimson tree always responded perfectly. Its defenses were flawless, reacting to every move with ruthless efficiency.

The bitter truth settled in Umeboshi's mind. The way things were going, he couldn't win this fight.

And yet, despite knowing that, he refused to back down.

As Umeboshi dashed forward once more, he clashed with yet another branch, only to be sent flying for what felt like the hundredth time. Before he could recover and try again, something grabbed him from behind.

A branch had been lying in wait, hidden within the dense undergrowth.

"D-damn... it," Umeboshi choked, spitting up blood as the branch coiled tightly around his body.

The grip was excruciating, squeezing the air from his lungs and immobilizing him completely. Then, to his horror, sharp needles emerged from the surface of the branch, piercing his flesh. A searing pain shot through his body as he felt his blood being drained at an alarming rate.

He screamed in agony, his voice echoing through the forest. The pain was unbearable, and in that moment, he understood the fate of the lifeless kappa and spirits that surrounded the tree. The monstrous tree was a predator, feeding on its victims by draining them dry.

As his vision blurred and darkness began to consume him, Umeboshi had one final thought.

Looks like I lost again after all… the forever loser I am…

Just as he was about to succumb to unconsciousness, a blinding light pierced through the crimson-leaved tree. The tree shuddered violently, its branches writhing in pain as the light tore through its core.

The grip around Umeboshi loosened, and the branch let go, dropping him unceremoniously to the ground. He hit the dirt hard, his body barely responding as he stared upward, struggling to stay conscious.

Through his hazy vision, he saw the silhouette of a strange figure standing above him. They wore a flowing kimono, their presence radiating an aura of strength and calm.

Before the darkness overtook him, Umeboshi heard the figure's voice, tinged with exasperation.

"Seriously? What did you expect to achieve with a plan like that? What a fool you are, stranger…"

And with that, Umeboshi passed out.

chapter sixty-six end