80th Adversary: Jara Guardians

A day after he entered the Jara Jungle, Miko was having his wounds checked out by Momo.

"Incredible. Your body is healing quicker than I expected. It also feels like your bones are becoming sturdier than before."

Momo was touching Miko's naked upper body.

"I think we can move on to a different location in the jungle with no problem. But don't get carried away and reopen your wounds. You might have a strong tolerance for pain, but you're still a mortal."

She stepped back and said.

"I see."

Miko stood up and turned to face her.

"Thanks, Momo. I always feel at ease with you around."

"Don't feel too at ease."

Momo placed her hand on her hip.

"You're too reckless at times, Miko. You need to start taking care of your body. It hasn't been long since you've been released from the Demon's Nest. Your body endured months of torture in there, there's no way you didn't suffer any long-lasting effects."

"I'm fine, Momo. Besides, you can always heal me when I'm injured."

Miko showed her a bright smile.

"I might be your teacher, but that doesn't mean I'll be with you forever. Did you forget? You're almost 16. According to the clan's law, you'll need to part with your master a year after your coming-of-age ceremony, so that you can gain experience on your own."

"But Momo, I think you're misunderstanding something here. I've never thought of you as my teacher. You're more than that, you're family, and I refused to part with you. So even if the clan is against it, I plan to spend my life with you."

"...…"

Momo's peeled open. She calmed down and looked away from him.

"…Your personality change isn't good for my heart."

Miko laughed.

"Sorry to interrupt."

Hina came into the room. Her eyes were cold as she looked at the two.

"What is it, Hina?"

"Oden said that we can move out any second now."

"I see. Tell him I'm coming."

Hina looked at him and then at Momo in silence before nodding and turning around to leave.

"Ah, Hina."

She stopped and turned around and looked at Miko.

"Yes."

Miko smiled at her and said-

"I plan to spend the rest of my life with you too, you know."

Hina's eyes widened.

"W-What are you talking about?"

"Well, you looked jealous just now, so I wanted to let you know that you're important to me as well."

"I wasn't necessarily…."

Hina stopped talking. Miko was smiling at her with eyes that looked like he could see right through her.

"Mhm."

In the end, she could only nod and quickly leave the room.

"What?"

Miko looked at Momo who was glaring at him.

"No, I just realized that you're definitely a Gamiko. You love playing with women's hearts just like gramps and uncle."

Miko laughed.

"I'm not playing around. I was just being honest."

He started putting on his top.

"You two are important to me. What's wrong with wanting to spend the rest of my life with you?"

He walked away without waiting for her to respond. Momo stood in place for a bit before smiling.

(You're a sinful one.)

After he left the room, Tia's voice appeared in his head.

"I'm just being honest."

(Sometimes honesty can be a devastating weapon.)

"Anyway, how's the situation back home?"

(Other than people from the three clans snooping around, everything is fine.)

"I see. I'm staying here a little longer, about a day or so. I'm counting on you to hold the reins until then."

(Don't worry. No one is willing to defy me. It's boring actually. I might go play with my grandkids to pass the time.)

"Hahaha. Do that then, I'm sure that would make them happy. I'll give you an update on the situation later."

(Alright.)

The telepathic connection between the two ended. Miko arrived where the others were.

"Is everything ready?"

Oden nodded.

"All you have to do is pick where you want to go next."

"Hm….what are the beasts that reside here and is there any hierarchy among you guys?"

"Other than us, there are elves, pixies, dwarves, dryads, goblins, a few Beastmen and humans, and finally manticores. As for ranks, there's a rule that prevents in-fighting, but you could say that the manticores are the top."

"Oh? I thought it would be you since you're so strong."

"I alone can't make us #1 in the jungle. Also, our race is naturally weak, and with more than half of us unawakened we can't compete with the manticores or even the Beastmen."

"I see. Elves and dwarves are also considered really powerful beasts as well."

"Are we going to go around convincing everyone as we did here?"

Sora asked. Miko shook his head.

"That would take too much time. Oden, you said that there are guardians for this jungle right? Are they like overseers or something?"

Oden nodded.

"They're the strongest beasts who protect the jungle from invaders. Everyone in the forest listens to them like they're our gods."

"Well, they are protecting you."

Miko smiled like he got an idea.

"Oden, take us to those guardians. I want to talk with them."

Oden did as Miko asked and started leading everyone toward where the guardians were. They were currently on a different path from what they took to reach the Parasite Demons' village. In these flowery tunnels, Oden stood at the front followed by Miko.

"Oden, be honest with me. What are the chances that I can successfully convince the guardians to work for me."

"Extremely low. The guardians are all powerful beasts. They might not be Divine Beasts, but they're still powerhouses."

"A Divine Beast is equivalent to a true god and can clash with Divine Proxies and Deiciders, right? It would be a problem if they were at that level."

Miko admitted.

"However, I gotta give it a try either way."

"You're always positive and optimistic, aren't you?"

"Actually until recently, I was quite the downer. It's just that some stuff happened and I changed my outlook on life."

Miko said with a laugh.

"Smile even in the face of death. That's my new motto. So no matter what I'll never show despair or hopelessness, I'll smile and continue to dominate."

"....."

Oden looked at him for a bit before turning back around. Leon who was behind Miko also looked at his son in silence. The changes in Miko were shocking, but he couldn't tell if it was a good thing yet. Miko seemed a lot more reckless than before.

(Then again, he might only seem that way on the surface. I'm sure that he knows what he's doing.)

He nodded as if to reassure himself.

"Oden, how long until we reach the guardians?"

"We should be there soon, but I think I should warn you. The guardians can be hard to deal with, especially if you're human."

"Do they hate humans?"

Momo asked.

"They despise them. So be on guard because it wouldn't be odd if they try to kill you."

"Thanks for the warning."

That was all Miko said. They walked for another 10 minutes before seeing an end to their path. They exited and found themselves staring at a group of statues, the sizes of hills. There were five statues in total, all of different beasts.

"Whoa."

Everyone looked at the lifelike statues in wonder. There was one of a ferocious winged tiger, one of a majestic female elf, one of a bloodthirsty manticore, one of a powerful looking orc, and the last one was of a reptilian warrior.

"Are these statues of the guardians?"

Miko asked.

"Yeah. They were erected in their honor a couple of hundred years ago."

Miko looked at the statues covered in moss in silence. He stared at the manticore statue for a long time.

"They're inside the statues?"

"How did you know?"

Oden wore a grin. Miko pointed at the manticore statue.

"I'm pretty sure that bloodlust is coming from that statue. It feels like it's watching my every move."

"Miko!"

Leon grabbed Miko's collar and dragged him back.

*Bam!*

The spot Miko was standing at exploded and a crater was formed. Leon glared at the statues.

"Come out!"

He roared.

"A human ordering me around?"

Something appeared on top of the manticore statue. It had a ferocious lion's body, wings of a dragon, venomous spines similar to porcupine quills, and a scorpion's tail. It looked identical to the statue it was standing on top of. In other words, it was a manticore.

"You must have a death wish."

The manticore glared at Leon who did the same.

"Aiden, why did you attack our visitors?"

A new voice could be heard and four more figures appeared on top of the other statues. They all looked identical to the statues they were standing on, allowing everyone to know who they were. These beings were the guardians of this jungle.

"Acacia, How could I not attack? That human dared to point his fingers at me."

The manticore, Aiden, replied to the female elf wearing golden armor. She had the usual elven features like long flowing green hair, pointed ears, fair skin, and green eyes. She, however, had a nasty scar across her face which made her look a bit intimidating.

"I see. You've fallen to the point that even being pointed at sets you off. How simpleminded."

Said, Acacia.

"Hmph, say what you want. Mere humans don't have the qualifications to point in my direction."

"Aiden, your arrogance will lead to your death one day."

Said the reptilian warrior. He was over 6 feet, held a spear, and was dressed in black. His skin was green and scaly, and his eyes were slit and gold. His tail was as thick as an adult man's leg.

"I don't need a lizard's advice, Barak. And don't say anything either, Arlan and Kris."

Before the winged lion or the orc could speak up, Aiden immediately shut them down. He looked down at Leon, who was shielding Miko. His eyes then fell on Oden in the back.

"Oden, we allowed these things to enter the jungle on your request, but why are they in front of me?"

His eyes locked on Oden as if he was his prey.

"Hmph. I'd appreciate it if watch your tone with me, Aiden. I don't worship or fear you like the others."

Oden stepped out.

"They wanted to meet you and talk, but who would've guessed that the great guardians can't even communicate properly and started attacking for no reason."

"It seems you really want to enter my belly."

Aiden growled. Oden ignored him and turned to Miko.

"These are the guardians and protectors of this jungle. Talk to them as you wish."

Miko looked at Oden and then the beasts in the back.

"A group of powerful monsters ready to rip my head off?"

He showed a grin.

"So business as usual then?"