When Kai stepped out of the teleportation vortex, he found the Samurai standing in front of him.
Jack was still donning his usual attire; white karate uniform, white belt, and wooden sandals. He had a long, black beard, his hair tied in a knot at the top of his head. His eyes were dark and cold as he observed Kai with apathy. As he stood there, he was like a sharp sword, his willpower not less than that of Kai.
Samurai Jack… was a man of honor, morals, and justice.
The complete opposite of one called Kai of House Stormborn.
"13 years," Jack said, looking up and down at Kai. "Have you realized the truth of what I told you?"
Kai grinned. "Haha!" he laughed outrageously, patting his stomach. "Your 'truth' is in my stomach. I ate them all."
Samurai ignored Kai's mockery. "Unlock anything you want and then meet me over there," he told Kai, pointing some 200 meters away from the hut. "And be quick about it. You only have 24 hours, don't forget."
With that, the Samurai spun and marched off, his back tall, his steps unhurried.
Kai instantly frowned. "What's he up to now?" he asked himself, not finding the reason behind the instructions. "Anyway, unlocking comes first…"
Kai licked his lips and walked toward the hut.
The hut was still the same, a tiny existence under the colossal tree. In the sky, a blue-pinkish mist shimmered, enchanting the hearts and eyes alike. A calm and composed ocean surrounded the island, devoid of waves, ripples, and life, perhaps.
Kai opened the door and entered the hall and sat down near the table, over which there was a Tablet. "Smarty," he called out, "show me my Points."
The watch on his wrist shone and projected the data.
[
Points Available: 1250000
]
"Good." Kai nodded to himself.
After remaining holed up for 3 years in the cave in the past, Kai had roamed around the Island, killing hundreds of Troopers. The only problem was that these hundreds were all Xenomorphs, easy to rile up. No one else had been leaving the headquarters, anyway.
But since the mutated human-Pokemon Beings had appeared, Kai had been getting ample opportunities to kill to his heart's content.
Moreover, Kai had discovered then that, even though Smarty hadn't recognized those abominations, he could gain Points after killing them. Some gave him 1000 Points, some 1500, and some even 2000, making him guess they were failed fusions of two Captains, a Captain, and a Commander, or two Commanders.
No matter the case, Kai could expertly tell that these fused beings were still over 50% less strong than a true Commander.
Kai had only met one Commander in these 13 years, and he was Commander Cedric Diggory. Even with his enhanced Selfless Breathing and Telekinesis, he didn't believe that he could take on that "thing".
It was easy to kill wizards, especially in a close fight. The thing was… the Death Eaters knew it, too.
And if Kai could agree with Samurai Jack on a point, then it was surely on the fact that Island was adapting to him.
It adapted fast. And it reacted even faster!
Another important fact that Kai had discovered, which he hadn't found in Ryan's memories (-Kai hadn't been able to learn all things from him in the first place-), was that there was a ranking system within the Armies as well.
Once a Captain or Commander died, it wasn't like the numbers of these two Ranks of Soldiers had permanently dropped. Captains got promoted to Commanders, and Troopers got promoted to Captains, raising their strength accordingly.
And, with the sheer number of Troopers on Island X, Kai couldn't tell if their numbers were getting replenished or not. He hoped not.
So, even after 13 years, Kai had only managed to kill some 12000 Troopers, 100 Captains, and many abominations, letting him obtain 1350000 Points. Out of those, he had already paid 100000 Points to come here.
Kai's hazel pupils were beaming with anticipation. "Unlock Selene."
Selene was one of the strongest Items in Kai's arsenal. No matter how many swords he would obtain, she was and would remain his irreplaceable trump card. Not only the Ghost Basilisk truly understood him from in and out, making him bypass unnecessary details and commands, but she had Intangibility.
In his life, combining his previous world and after the resurrection, Kai had seen no power more absurd than it.
Even more hideous was Selene's ability to couple Intangibility with Soul Chill and her venom; a potent poison that inherently targeted souls.
There was no magical creature that could replace her in Kai's eyes. No one.
[
1 million Points deducted from your total Points.
]
Shuuuu!!!
Kai felt an incredibly burning sensation within him, around his chest region. It burned so hot that even he winced at the unannounced pain.
Yes. He had forgotten.
When Kai had left the World of Harry Potter, Selene had been resting inside his heart. So there she would appear after unlocking, it seemed.
The burning sensation vanished as fast as it had appeared.
Suddenly, a silvery-white mist seeped out of Kai and took on a familiar appearance.
Even though she was 6 ft tall, Selene was sleek, lean, and otherworldly beautiful. Her scales looked like that of a dragon, alternative black and yellow ethereal rings of light pulsating along her length. Her one eye was pitch black and the other murky yellow; blind in both. However, in the middle of her head, there was a vertical slit, hiding a third, grayish eye.
The petrifying gaze of a Basilisk!
The only trouble was… she had somehow gained three personalities, each weirder than the other.
Hissss!!!
Selene slithered up Kai's body, coiled herself around her shoulders and neck, and flicked out her forked tongue, kissing Kai's chin. -Master,- she hissed. -Have we arrived?-
Kai's eyebrows shot up. -How much time do you think has passed, Selene?- he hissed, sensing something was wrong.
-Humph!- Selene snorted out a hiss, gaining temper. -I am no Cersei, master. Don't play with me, asking time as if I am a child. We just left the Harry Potter world.-
The corners of Kai's mouth twitched. So that's how it is, he thought, shaking his head inwardly. For Selene, not a single moment has passed, just like all Contestants outside the Tournament's purview. Sigh!
Then began a lengthy discussion between Blood Demon and his loyal magical creature as he let her catch up to the proceedings.
-Oh!- Selene hissed, yawning, the inside of her mouth pitch black. -Well, you should have begun with it, then, master.-
She's acting like such a brat! What's up with her? Kai wondered, narrowing his eyes. Is she in puberty or something? Tch!
-You unlock Murasame, master,- Selene hissed, slithering off Kai's shoulders. -I am going to take a look at this Samurai, and see if he has a soul or not.-
Like master, like pet. Selene hadn't even met Jack, yet the first thing that had come to her mind was to kill him.
-You stupid!- Kai spat, pulling her by her tail.
Hisss!!!
Selene bared her fangs at Kai. -Don't pull me like that!- she shouted, coiling on the floor. -I am just going to have a look. That's all.-
Kai buried the rising anger and took two deep breaths. -Go, then,- he hissed. -I am warning you! Do nothing stupid.-
-Yeah, yeah- Selene hissed, bursting into a cloud of mist. -I just want to see… who is this motherfucker who judged your tea "terrible"?-
As he saw the Ghost Basilisk vanishing into the floor, Kai sighed. "Unlock Murasame."
Another 100000 Points instantaneously disappeared.
Space rippled and a long Katana, with a red hilt, appeared on the table in front of him.
The moment Kai saw her, his breathing quickened. One-cut-killer!
Kai grabbed her by the hilt and ran her fingers across her length. "As beautiful as ever!" he praised, his bloodlust seeping out, melting into the bloodthirsty sword. "I hope you are itching to kill, Murasame. Hahahaha!"
Since the Sword Spirit, Ayin, had tampered with Murasame in Kai's Reality Marble, Murasame had gained a will. One could even say that she was just inches away from becoming a Semi-sapient existence, just like the Cursed Hat of Vanity. However, she was bound to not reach that level, for the Systems would never permit it. And what happened in the Reality Marble could never be repeated.
Still, that small sentience, that bloodthirsty will, was enough for Murasame to recognize Kai's aura, making her thrum in reply.
With only 150000 points remaining, Kai bought a Life Halt capsule and suddenly realized something. "Smarty!" he shouted. "Can Selene eat a Life Halt Capsule?!"
Why didn't he realize this before? Fuck!!!!
[
No.
]
Kai's face lost color.
[
Actually, she doesn't need to, Kai. As she's your magical creature, and a part of your strength, the effect of you eating a Life Halt Capsule will automatically apply to her.
]
Kai didn't know if he wanted to curse or relax. "You," he said through gritted teeth, "couldn't have begun with this answer?!"
Thoroughly frustrated, Kai unlocked the second Beast Ball, containing the 2nd level 1 Dementor. This left him with 10000 Points, which he used to unlock some MP and SP capsules.
BOOOM!!!
This?! Kai suddenly shot up and ran out of the hut.
In the distance, where the Samurai had told Kai to come, he could see a blurry crater, with Jack's white figure standing tall at its edge.
With a dense foreboding, Kai's figure vanished and appeared near the crater.
A white, scaled serpent was lying deep in the crater, squirming, bleeding from its mouth.
"Your pet?" Samurai Jack asked, looking at Selene.
Kai's eyes had gone bloodshot.
No words. No signs. No curses.
One moment, Kai was standing opposite Jack, with the crater between them. In another, he melted into the surroundings like wind before appearing behind Jack, Murasame raised high in his hand.
Kai's eyes narrowed into needles, sensing Jack dodging to the left. He changed the sword path mid-attack, his muscles ripping and straining, unquestioningly believing his Instincts; his Observation Haki.
Alas! Samurai Jack's figure didn't even stir. Much less needed to be said about him dodging, as Kai had predicted.
The power behind Kai's slash was so much that even he couldn't control it. Not after already changing the attack's path once. It didn't come as a surprise that Murasame passed by Samurai's left, cutting nothing but air.
As if time had stagnated, Jack's head turned to look into Kai's eyes, the one-cut-killer still tracing a powerful path toward the ground.
Their eyes met.
And then the fist arrived.
BOOM!!!
Another crater appeared, right next to the one with Selene. In this crater, deep within, was Kai, his face swollen, his jaw broken, and his eyes rolled back into his head.
"Instincts," Samurai Jack said, standing between the two craters, "are not infallible, Kai. Today, I will teach you how to control micro-movements of a body, fooling those who can glimpse the shadows of near-future."
Kai's jaw creaked as the HP generation kicked in, Jack's words ringing in his ears like a nightmarish buzz.
13 years after entering the 3rd Stage of the Tournament of Worth, Kai's training began under the tutelage of Samurai Jack, the Supreme Commander of the False Ones.
This year, he was 31!