The Next Guest Ch. 04

Japanese Dietes

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Amaterasu - Japanese Goddess of the sun (head goddess)

Wakahiru-me - younger sister of Amaterasu, goddess of the rising sun

Benten - Japanese Goddess of love

Hachiman - Japanese God of War

Takemikazuchi - god of thunder and swords

Takeminakata - god of wind, water, agriculture

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Minor gods and goddesses

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Ame-no-oshihomimi - first son of Amaterasu

Ame-no-hohi - second son of Amaterasu

Amatsuhikone - third son of Amaterasu

Ikutsuhikone - fourth son of Amaterasu

Kumanokusubi - fifth son of Amaterasu

Onryō - goddess of revenge

Izanami - goddess of death

Amatsumara - god of iron working

Ame-no-wakahiko - God of grains.

Azumi-no-isora - God of the seashore.

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Shuten-dōji - King of Japanese Demons

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Yuki-Onna, The Snow Woman - a pale, beautiful and malevolent spirit

Gashadokuro - a female spirit that takes the form of a giant skeleton

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Ephus shook his head as he pointed at the Raccoon dogs and five vanished. He then turned and pointed at the imp goblins, five of them vanishing with a scream.

He then looked at the others that were there as they blinked in surprise. "I suggest that you go before you meet the same fate," he said as the eight females laughed at him.

They were laughing 'til he pointed at the normal-sized skeleton female and the masked female. They both appeared to be shocked, then screamed as they vanished into nothing.

"That bastard lied to us! He has far more power than we thought, let's go!" the huge skeleton female said as they all popped out.

Ephus shook his head, he swore that they had been testing him to see how strong he was. He turned to look at a wide-eyed Amaterasu, Wakahiru-me and Benten.

Benten walked towards him and kissed him passionately. "I was worried when you went to the front that you might not make it. I can see that you are far stronger than that."

Ephus nodded as both of the other goddesses came to him and laid a hot kiss on him too. He could only stare at them as Benten was whispering in the ears of both the goddesses.

The thing that got him, though, was when they all three looked at him as if he was a piece of meat.

He nodded yeah he'd seen that look before, it was why he had over ten wives.

"So, any other ideas about how we can find them? It appears that he is desperate if he is getting help," Ephus said.

Amaterasu shook her head a moment as she returned her gaze to him. She then noticed that her sister and the goddess of love couldn't tear their eyes off Ephus.

"I had several of the gods that you released follow their energy trails. I am hoping that they return soon. Sister? What is wrong with you?" said Amaterasu, her staring sister.

"Sis we," she said dreamily, "doesn't he look as delicious as can be? I just want to eat him up!" Wakahiru-me said, then lunged for Ephus.

Ephus held her off easily 'til Benten also jumped on his back. Now he was struggling, holding a female in each arm, even while they were trying to undress him.

Ephus looked at Amaterasu, rolling his eyes. She would have thought it humorous were it at the wrong time.

Amaterasu snapped her fingers, causing both goddesses to drop to the floor with a thud. "We don't have time for that," she said, then under her breath said, "but soon."

Less than five minutes later a few of the minor gods reappeared. They pointed out that all that had escaped had flown to a mountain much further away.

Ephus was about to leave when Amaterasu grabbed his arm. "You shouldn't go alone, he's not strong, but he has a lot of support." Ephus stopped and then nodded his head. He thought about it for a moment, then asked Amaterasu if Hachiman was near. She nodded and a moment later the god of war appeared.

He bowed to Ephus as he started relating what we had found out so far. He also told him of the minor and two major demons we had destroyed.

He looked upset for a moment, then said, "We shall find them, then banish them back to hell where they belong."

He nodded, glad that he wasn't as bloodthirsty as many of the other gods of war I had met.

They vanished, appearing near another mountain that was a lot further from Takamagahara than before. He looked around, not really seeing anything to indicate that they were here.

I heard a warning from Hachiman, ducking a sticky line whizzed past me, hitting a raccoon dog that had appeared. Another went past me on the other side wrapping a goblin.

He watched as the lines tightened, then crushed the two. The spider-like woman sneered at him.

"You can't escape forever human," she said as she pointed her spinnerets toward him.

I released a bolt of lightning as she released hers. It melted her webbing it streaking in a line of flames toward her. I thought she had escaped, she seeming to have vanished.

I smiled as I heard a high-pitched scream, then saw pieces of her legs and body falling from where she'd been. Hachiman and I went into the cave nearby, seeing evidence of Shuten-dōji.

We found another minor god that they had used as bait. We had already released all of Amaterasu's sons, the minor goddesses of death and revenge. Last time they had released the god of iron-working and the god of grains.

It appeared that this time, we had gotten a very pissed-off minor God of the seashore. Hachiman took the minor god back to Takamagahara as Ephus looked around further.

A shimmering behind him showed a severely pissed-off vision of Shuten-dōji. "This is the last time human! You have no back-up now," he said as he started to laugh.

"For one as weak as you and these weak, whatever they are, I don't need the help," he said.

A huge area shimmered beside me as a huge female spirit skeleton stepped out. Behind it a pale, beautiful and malevolent female spirit came next.

"So human," the large skeleton smirked. "Let's see what that puny sword of yours can do. I am afraid that it will be like most male swords, a puny stick!"

For being as large as she was, she was far faster than Ephus thought she was. He actually lost a few hairs as she swung near his head.

Ephus met the sword of the Snow spirit, her face turning to shock as her sword vibrated up her arms.

Ephus turned, catching the huge sword of the Skeleton female spirit. Luckily, Ephus had gripped his sword far tighter than usual.

This time Ephus' sword was vibrating as much as the skeleton's. "So," the large spirit sneered at Ephus. "You have magic, too bad you'll be dead as all males should be when they stop being of use!"

Ephus ducked the swing as he felt the snowwoman spirit approaching his back. A back swing knocked the spirit to the ground.

Ephus moved back, getting both of the spirits in front of him. Both sneered at him again, angry that he was keeping them from killing him.

Another close swing from the giant had him ducking again almost into the snowwoman's blade. Ephus actually managed to hit the leg bone of the skeleton, though it felt like hitting a rock.

Ephus backed up, trying to get the sting out of his hands. Sun of a bitch he thought as he caught the sword of the snow woman near her hilt. The snow woman screamed in indignation, shaking her ghostly hands.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw that giant skeleton had a crack where he had hit its leg. All the good it did, he thought, as it hadn't slowed it down at all.

He ducked again as the snow woman tried to catch him as he was moving away. Ephus had swung as he went low, trying to hit the leg bone again. The snow woman had driven into stab Ephus, getting caught in the swing he'd made.

There was a ripping sound as his sword ripped through the snow woman's left arm. A high-pitched scream erupted from the snow woman's mouth, reminding Ephus of a banshee's wail.

Ephus had managed to cover his ear, though that didn't help much. The snow woman has dropped her sword. The giant hadn't fared that well either, falling to its knees.

It then pointed a bony finger at him, saying something. Though the most he caught was not over yet, but, he got the gist.

He stood and put a foot on the arm that was oddly solid. Both the spirits stared death looks at him as they both vanished.

Ephus picked up the bloodless arm as Hachiman appeared. Seeing what Ephus had a hold of he smiled. "It is so unlike you to take trophies," he said.

Ephus turned to look at him, "tell me when was the last time you saw a spirit lose a solid arm?" he asked him.

This had him confused for a moment, then he looked at the arm. "You say this is from a spirit. No, I don't think so, this is more a demon arm."

Ephus nodded as they both vanished and appeared back in the meeting room of Takamagahara. As soon as they appeared, three sets of female eyes were staring at him.

"When Hachiman appeared, and you weren't with him, we feared the worst," Amaterasu said.

Ephus nodded, "had two spirits appear as soon as Hachiman left. A huge skeleton female spirit, along with a snowwoman spirit."

Amaterasu gasped as she whispered, "Gashadokuro and Yuki-Onna." It was at that moment that Amaterasu noticed the severed arm that Ephus had.

"Ah, I see that you noticed this, I took it from the snow woman," Ephus said. "Notice anything strange about it?"

Amaterasu looked it over, then touched it. "This is not from a spirit, not if it is solid after you took it. Even more that there is nor was any blood."

"I said the same thing. I told Ephus that I thought that it came from a demon," Hachiman said.

Amaterasu nodded as she looked at Amaterasu Ephus. "I'd say that Shuten-dōji is trying to make all of us think he is more powerful than he is."

A sudden idea came to Ephus as he went to Hachiman and started to whisper in his ear. A very wide appeared on Hachiman's face as he started to nod vigorously.

"So you think that it'll work?" Ephus asked.

Hachiman had an even bigger smile on his face, "If it doesn't, I expect that he will be far weaker."

"I'm not really out to make him weaker, he needs to be destroyed as have been his minions. I guarantee that is what I am out to do."

Hachiman nodded, hearing the determination in Ephus' voice.

Shuten-dōji was raging back and forth. The snow woman was trying to re-grow her arm though, was finding it was almost impossible.

The huge skeleton female was trying to heal the long crack that was on her leg. She also was finding that the healing she was using was not really working.

"Shuten-dōji," the skeleton female started, then quieted as Shuten-dōji punched and cracked the wall.

"I sent two of you, two of my strongest, and you both failed! You were injured enough to keep you out a while." Here Shuten-dōji sneered at the snow woman, "you, losing an arm. Where is your pride, that was a human male. The type that the two of you hate the most!"

Shuten-dōji whirled and left the room in disgust. He'd lost another piece of power; bad enough, he'd lost the major gods.

Still raging, he looked at the rest of the minor gods that he still had captured. They weren't going to use them as bait any longer, if the demi wanted them he'd have to come here.

The worst thing that he'd found out, was that once the demi released them? He couldn't re-capture them.

He hit the wall again, making a huge hole in it. He swore that he was surrounded by pure idiots, at this rate, the demi was going to get all the minor gods also.

He might as well let the rest of them go with the caliber of morons he had working with him. He went to his chambers and sealed the door, so none of the fools could bother him.

He threw himself into his chair, pointing at the two humans chained to the wall. He closed his eyes as he reveled in the pitiful screams that they started to make.

Ah, he thought, nothing like torture to make him excited again. He looked between his legs as his member started to lengthen. Umm, he thought, need to find a female to take. Not these here. He vanished with a cackling laugh time to make some pain!

Ephus sat in the common room worried that his one, pregnant Egyptian goddess wife might have problems. Even worse than that, was the fact that. She was the goddess of medicine, magic, and healing venomous stings and bites.

He shook his head, hoping that she didn't need help. Though her mother could help her, that goddess was still a first-class bitch. Though he thought she had mellowed a bit.

Ephus called back home to find that all was good as all his wives had their say, then they were gone. Ephus took a deep breath, then decided that they should start looking for them again.

He decided after a bit that he would take Hachiman, then decided on Takemikazuchi, god of thunder and swords. He also decided to take Takeminakata, god of wind, water, agriculture.

To have more control over the elements might let him get more of them. The only problem was finding the demon king first. With that ass still out there, too many factors were still against him.

Before they left, Ephus laid a hand on the shoulder of Takemikazuchi, first powering him up. The god's eyes went large as his full power returned. He then touched an eager Takeminakata's shoulder. The same happened to him as he also returned to full power.

Both of the gods stared at Ephus, almost unable to believe that they now had full power. Ephus nodded to the both of them, allowing them to get over their shock.

"We are going after Shuten-dōji and the demons that he has employed. He has four each that look like mountain goblins and raccoon dogs. A snow woman, a fifteen-foot female skeleton, a mountain woman, a snake woman. There is also a spider woman and a disfigured woman," Ephus said.

"We heard that you injured two of them," Takemikazuchi asked.

Ephus looked at him and nodded. "I did then, I discovered that they weren't spirits." Holding up the severed arm, he let the two new gods inspect it.

Takemikazuchi looked at it, then shook his head as then, Takeminakata also shook his head no. "This is more like the arm of a demon, not a spirit. Especially since it went solid as soon as it was separated," Takemikazuchi said.

Takeminakata was also nodding his agreement, "Powerful demons, yes. These are definitely not spirits."

Ephus nodded as he dropped the arm. "I thought it wise to advise all of you before we go hunting. We need to be vigilant of their ambushes, they seem to like to spring on us."

All three of the gods nodded as they all vanished. They appeared near the same mountain where Ephus had met the two demons.

They looked around for clues as to where they might have gone. Almost an hour later, they all started to detect the energy of demons.

"It appears that they traveled further into this mountain chain," Hachiman said, waving his hand toward the mountains behind the present one.

Ephus came closer as he looked at the lines of energy. "It looks like we are following this trail then."

All four of them started the way that the energy indicated. They stopped before an even larger mountain.

Ephus raised both his hands, feeling the dark energy that was deep within. "It feels much like it did the first time I met him. I can also feel the other demons, though not the minor gods. We should," Ephus started.

There were several shimmers that appeared behind them. Ephus smiled as all but the large skeleton female and the snow woman appeared.

"I take it you wish to lose all your allies, well practice against you can only help," Ephus said to the air. "Plus, it proves just how much of a coward you are."

Out of the air came the voice of Shuten-dōji, "not as much a coward as smart. Just in case you have hidden allies, plus you have some of the strongest with you."

"Ah, but I don't need to resort to your underhanded tactics. I fight fairly unlike you," Ephus said, slashing at the air beside him.

Shuten-dōji screamed as the blade sliced deep into his only full arm. "You son of a whore!" Shuten-dōji yelled even louder at Ephus. "I will eat your soul as slowly and painfully as I can!"

Ephus smirked at Shuten-dōji, "That's if you can even catch me, you pitiful demon."

Shuten-dōji actually lost control as he started to swing at Ephus uncontrollably. Swings that Ephus block rather easily.

Ephus kept the smile on his face that was soon causing Shuten-dōji to lose more control. The smile stayed on his face 'til he swung, catching Shuten-dōji across his leg.

The demon king groaned louder as he stared at Ephus, then vanished. "I will destroy you demi, make no mistake, I will destroy you!"

Ephus smirked again as he shouted, "Good luck with that! Far stronger and smarter gods than you have tried and failed!" Here Ephus laughed, causing a growl from the empty air.

Hachiman leaned over with a smile and said, "It might not be a good thing to anger him."

"I have angered far stronger than that pitiful demon, ever heard of Ares?" Ephus said.

Hachiman nodded, then looked at Ephus, "I've heard he hasn't been seen for some time. I take it that it was you?"

Ephus nodded as they stared at all the demons that were before them. "So do you want to surrender now or suffer defeat?"

The snake woman started to laugh, "You are four against twelve, you have little chance of success."

This made Ephus start to laugh so hard that he almost fell on the ground. "Oh, that is indeed funny. Oh? Thank you, I needed a good laugh."

"You dare to laugh at powerful spirits like us! We will make you regret it," the snake woman said.

"Oh please," Ephus said, a look of disdain on his face. "I've gone against demons who were far stronger than you, weak, things."

A scream came from the mountain woman as she charged toward Ephus, swinging her sword wildly. Ephus seemed bored as he met each swing with a counter swing.

"I will leave you far more disfigured than I have ever been! No one shames us, you will pay most definitely," the snake woman shouted.

"You have put yourself in a bad situation, going against one better than you. Ask the large skeleton woman and the snow woman. They were far better than you and I took them both on alone," Ephus sneered.

This caused the rest of them to rush forward, attacking the other three that were with Ephus.

For the next hour there was the clanging sound of swords as they battled for supremacy. The four goblins and the raccoon dogs were the first defeated.

Ephus was surprised that the mountain woman lasted as long as she did. He noticed that the other four demons were lasting as well.

Ephus kept at it, nearly having been sliced several times. He finally managed to get a hit in on the mountain woman's arm, who screamed and vanished.

The other three saw that Ephus was moving in their direction and vanished just as fast. Ephus shook his head as the other three gods smiled.

"A wonderful display of swordmanship," Hachiman said, then quieted as Ephus had a look of concern on his face. "What is the problem we beat them?"

"That's the problem, we beat them, we should have destroyed them. Something is going on, and I plan to find out just what it is," Ephus said, the look of concern on his face.

It was a look that also had Hachiman concerned as well. If he was this concerned, then they truly needed to plan even harder.