Chapter Text
The eldritch god Hakaisha, sending one of the massive eyeballs, sees the disaster that followed as not only Kintoru, the beast of control, has died a year ago, killed by Yasu Masashige, but the same fate had followed Enzaukai, who was killed by Isamu Uchiumi. He said one thing before going back up into the red clouds.
"Pathetic. Defeated by mortals. You were as weak as your sister - Another failed creation."
Senzai regains his human form the moment Enzukai was hit by Ashikaga's blessed bow. "W-What the..." He stares at his hands and body for a second and falls onto the ground, trying to process the moment. His 'lord', Enzukai, is now dead. "That monster you reached out for was no better than our father, Senzai" Isamu says as he steps forward and offers him a hand, giving him a small smile, a sign of forgiveness for all he had been put through because of his brother's foolish move. But before Senzai could place his hand on Isamu's... he falls to the ground, unconscious. There's no heartbeat anymore... no way of coming back alive again. Yasu runs to the body and calls out for him... "Isamu... Isamu! ISAMU UCHIUMI!" ...but he doesn't answer. His nose bleeds as his eyes finally close as a tear streaks down his cheek. The last view he got was a terrified and concerned Yasu yearning and trying to get him back while Senzai is just staring with his lips parted, in pure shock and guilt. Well, he was indirectly responsible for his death, right?
He wakes up to see himself as a soul, infant of the Shinigami. "It seems you have forgotten the main deal, Isamu." His chuckle echoes through the main centre of the seven centres of Jigoku. "It was fun to see you get carried off over there. But your time ran out before it could be a proper union..." He says as he holds out an orb showing Senzai and Yasu trying to shake his dead form back to life. "Look at your two beloveds... Pathetic. You really wished you could spend more time with them, don't you? Probably wishing you never found your broth-"
"At least I saved the world." Isamu states. "Anyone can move on from anything as time flies. They'll probably just assume I'm in some better place..."
"But you're not..." Shinigami says. "You're in jigoku, Isamu."
"I know. I ran from here to end up in here again." Isamu scoffs.
Shinigami spawns back Isamu's died out flame. "Well, it's weird that you're not supposed to hear for the way your soul is."
"Huh...?" Isamu gets confused as the soul flame that was burnt out to get him here was revived again. But instead of the usual color, it's blue. "What? Are you gonna send me back?"
"Hah!" Shinigami chuckles. "No can do. Destiny is destiny. However, this isn't the place you'll be staying in though."
"So I'm gonna be in somewhere else, better or worse than jigoku?" Isamu asks.
"Basically, yes. And fortunately for you, better." Shinigami says.
Isamu's eyes glitter in excitement. "Is it tengoku?" Isamu asks enthusiastically.
"Nah, well, it's the realm of the undead... Enzukai's Pocket Dimension." Shinigami says.
Isamu pauses. "Wait, realm of the undead...? Pocket Dimension?" He repeats. "T-That's familiar... It's like I've been there before..."
Shinigami sighs. "Oh, of course, you've been. With that other boy who's a Masashige descendant."
"Eh?" Isamu tilts his head, confused. "Either way, why am I gonna go to that dead beast's place-"
"Because you were the one who killed him, and he's also a cause of your death. He's no more so it's all do-whatever-you-want zone." Shinigami assures.
Shinigami sighs. "You know that place with aquatic animals all transparent with the bones on display?" He waits as Isamu tries to remember, hoping his hint rings a bell. "Kinda..." Isamu states, making Shinigami facepalm in frustration. "Damn you human... You're wasting my time. I'll just kick you there and you'll see for yourself..." As Shinigami was about to send him off, Isamu mutters "W-wait-" but as he closes his eyes as he feels his soul moving or transitioning, he feels this whole comfort as his soul seemed to have got there. He opened his eyes slowly, facing the ground... all dark, but slightly seemingly illuminated by blueish-cyanish light. He looks up and stares in awe. "Here...? Oh, I didn't get to savour this sight as I was all run or chase here, losing my mind..." The huge whales pass by, the shape of their transparent forms visible because of the light reflecting on them. Their ribs clearly visible. The bright glowing fishes are all in pattern, in a bunch of neat lines, lined up as they were passing in a semi-circle-ish direction.
Isamu looked around as he walked. He remembered all the events before, especially how annoying Umibozu was, and how terrifying and absolutely shitty Zuboshi was, having to cook him for him when he literally didn't know cooking at all. "It's stupid that I had to come back here... Aren't there better realms though...?" Isamu thought to himself. "Maybe, since I made a deal with the king of the underworld, Shinigami-san, this is the best I can get, I guess."
He goes through the bridge as the undead aquatic life above pass by, floating. "Chihiro's probably around here... Or not." He thought as he looked through the area where he was forced to play 'hide and seek' with her and her 'mother'. The fences, the huge buildings, everywhere, yet it felt so empty. "I guess, they're all... probably gone...". Isamu felt lonelier as the hours passed. As he took a tour around. He wasn't used to being so isolated. He had nothing better to do other than either just stare up at the undead aquatic animals flying by, or either just walk around again. It sucked.
Meanwhile, in the over world, Senzai checks the pulse one more time, before concluding his death. "M-My brother is... no more." He stared at the motionless body, as the blood dried down below his nose. As the tears filled his eyes, so heavy that the salty droplets started dripping on Isamu's face, Yasu suddenly reaches out and holds Senzai's hands, as in a plea.
"Senzai." He says as he grips Senzai's hands tight. "Kill me, now."
"W-What...?" Senzai stammers in confusion.
"I said... kill me now." He says as his voice drops.
Senzai's face was sheer concern and confusion. "B-But... w-what about-"
"It's whatever. I fulfilled all my duties already... got rid of a beast with a gucci hat before this hot sauce piece of shit, saved my ancestors, and now... I gotta find him. I want to spend the rest of eternity with him..." Yasu says.
"W-What if he's not where you think he is right now...?" Senzai asks.
Yasu lifts his head like snap. "W-What... do you mean...?"
"I remember Enzukai saying he'll be going to the opposite of paradise, making him suffer for getting in the way of his plan..." Senzai says.
"Jigoku, right?" Yasu says.
"Huh?" Senzai's eyebrows lift a little. "I-Isn't that bad...? No, how'd you guess it...?"
"It's what he said he came from when he got back to me... He was all fresh with no previous stains... Something went on there..." Yasu said.
"W-What now...?" Senzai asks.
"Just..." Yasu gulps. "Kill me, Senzai. I'll find a way somehow..." He said, as he placed his katana on Senzai's hands and bowed, before getting up.
"Yasu... isn't this something I should be doing instead of weeping here like loser...?" Senzai asks. "Were you two..."
"None of your business." Yasu says. "Though your excuse is valid that you're his brother and had your own damned trauma, I could care less since I don't know you so well.
"Now just do it... before I do it myself."
Senzai gulps as he stabs Yasu with his katana. "W-What am I even... What is going on..." He murmurs before he pulls the katana away in a swing and stares at it... his eyes roam on the blood that stained. As Yasu fell, unconscious, Senzai fell on his knees as well. His eyes darted towards the dead bodies of Enzukai, Yasu and Isamu... and the whole destroyed Tokyo. "God damnit..." He says before fainting as well.
Yasu opens his eyes and finds himself in a white void. "Hello?" He shouts. No answer... yet. "Hey!! Can anyone hear me? Is anyone here in the first place?!". He waits for a few seconds before sitting down and huffing. "Come on... I can't be stuck here forever like this..." He groans and does a 'tsk' while looking around, before finally setting his head down onto his knees, frustrated... He probably messed up? Just then a voice chimes in.
"Yasu Masashige. Descendant of the great warrior who had sealed the four beasts who have now broken free, Kusunoki Masashige, an accompaniee and partner of another one of the warrior kins, Ashikaga, current status, a spirit that has had one of the missions accomplished by Tokyo's detective that died too early, Isamu Uchiumi. Previous bloodline encounters with beasts, Keiko Masashige, the mother - currently maybe close to being deceased."
"What the..." Yasu says. "Who are you?! Are you the one who's the eyeball guy?! Did you make these four pieces of shit with two of them gone now?! How do you know all of that?!" He asks. "I... am no evil. I have no intentions that intend to help the wrong..." The voice calmly says, such that it's almost soothing, but at the same time, overwhelming, as the voice sounds like a combination of different people, it's like this entity is probably a non-binary. "Fine, fine. But who exactly are you? And what is this place?" Yasu asks, getting up, and having hands on his hips. "You have unnecessarily committed suicide for something trivial and common, a death of a loved one." Yasu frowns as he interrupts the upcoming statement with "Don't you dare consider something like that 'trivial'! Though it's obvious you're gonna die somehow if you made a deal or pact or something to get back when you're not supposed to! I didn't die even if I saved my entire bloodline! He died just for his brother, it's almost not fair! He's not supposed to die yet! I want him back!" He stubbornly says.
"Oh child," the voice continues. "There's no 'bringing him back.' Isamu was already dead and the destiny was fixed when he had his heart removed by Enzukai. He broke it by taking a limited extra time on Earth. It was only fulfilled because he had a mission." Yasu's eyes widened. "W-Wha-" His voice was cut off as the voice continues, "However, if you really need him, you shall go to the realm, where he's in. But only Shinigami can send you there. Since Isamu Uchiumi had killed Senzai, the pocket dimension is accessible. You are eligible currently only for Kintoru's pocket dimension. There's a huge sakura tree, which is the main one. That shall teleport you to Jigoku." The voice says. "Plus, your soul is... eligible at the moment to completely I've away life as you had completed the main purpose assigned to all the successors of Kusunoki, 'to get rid of Sama... Kintoru.'"
"So, what now? Send me there quickly then." Yasu says, all ready.
"A quite impatient one... Right." The voice chuckles.
"Wait." Yasu says. "You haven't told me who you are yet."
"You are not eligible to investigate or to be answered yet." The voice says.
Before Yasu can say anything, He blinks and finds himself in Kintoru's pocket dimension. A huge Sakura tree in the middle, with lush grass around. It was also the same area where all of Sama/Kintoru's different hearts were destroyed by him. There were lanterns around, all in the same place as before when he could remember. He then, proceeded towards the tree. He looked around, carefully, if any monster was here, left behind or couldn't die. As he touched the tree, he felt some strong gush of wind, as Sakura leaves flowing off intestified. He then opened his eyes. He's now in Saigomo's lair. He looked up at the red moon, and then down to the area.
