Chapter 4: The Two in Heaven

Sypnosis so far

Ashura, the king who rules the realm of Ashura, was working daily to quell conflicts with his close aides, Ryujyu and Hakuryu.

One day, Ashura was captured by a demon. With the help of Buddha, he easily escaped and captured the demon. However, when they tried to make the demon confess, someone silenced him.

Sensing that a tremendous war was being waged in the realm of Asura, Ashura headed to heaven.

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“Lord Taishakuten, the demon from King Ashura, has been sent.”

Heaven, under the command of Taishakuten, is home to the Six Realms Punishment Department, akin to a police agency of heaven.

In the five realms besides the human world, if there are criminals too difficult to handle or if there’s suspicion of cross-realm crimes, the kings and judicial authorities of each realm are obliged to report them.

Taishakuten also served as the head of the military and police in heaven.

With a massive physique over two meters tall, he was a robust god, devoid of unnecessary fat, and built for physical combat. Despite his sumo wrestler-like body, he wore the beautiful white and gold attire typical of heaven’s inhabitants, adorned with numerous flashy jewels.

Ashura had sent Pikara to Taishakuten to deal with the recent, inexplicable incident.

“King Ashura himself is expected to arrive in heaven shortly.”

“I see. Well done. Put that demon in cell P-35.”

Taishakuten peered into heaven’s kaleidoscope, which was larger and more precise than the one at Ashura’s palace.

“Ah, Ashura is coming. Should I keep this from Brahma?”

Rubbing his chin with his large right hand, Taishakuten mused while gazing at the kaleidoscope showing the Asura realm.

“Who are you keeping secrets from?”

Even though it was a workplace, the director’s office was not easily accessible, except for a few exceptions.

“Ah, Lord Brahma.”

Taishakuten bowed his head respectfully.

“You are too obsessed with King Ashura. Try not to provoke her too much.”

The somewhat rounded god known as Brahma took a seat on the luxurious sofa in the room.

Taishakuten’s secretary quickly brought tea. Brahma, the highest god in heaven, was also the head of the Six Realms and the judiciary. Though much shorter than Taishakuten, his graceful and intellectual demeanor commanded the respect befitting the supreme deity.

“I apologize. It’s in my nature, I suppose. I am captivated by beautiful things. I will be more careful in the future.”

Sipping his tea, Brahma looked into Taishakuten’s eyes, eyes that seemed to see through everything. Slowly, Taishakuten averted his gaze.

“By the way, what about the criminal sent from the Asura realm?”

“Indeed, it’s concerning. Apparently, his neck was broken during interrogation by the intelligence unit.”

Sitting opposite, Taishakuten also took a sip of tea.

“So, you mean there was a spell to break his neck if he was about to reveal anything.”

“That’s correct. King Ashura herself is coming here shortly. Will you join?”

“That’s why I’m here.”

Brahma said without changing his expression, suggesting he was aware of every suspicious event happening in this world. Taishakuten silently clicked his tongue.

“I’ll be off then.”

At the Ashura palace, Ashura stood before the flow path, her sword securely at her waist.

“Take care.”

Ryujyu, his swelling finally down and his usual energy restored, called out while chanting some spells in a meditative pose.

“Yes, you should train well too. This enemy seems formidable.”

With a somewhat buoyant tone, Ashura disappeared into the flow path.

“What do you think, Hakuryu?”

Ryujyu asked Hakuryu, who was training with him.

“The king has been here for several years. She’s never had much free time, but perhaps she found it unfulfilling. After all, she’s invincible. Yesterday’s failure was likely due to complacency.”

Hearing the word “failure,” Ryujyu was reminded of the pain in his cheek.

“So, she’s quite excited now.”

Hakuryu nodded.

“You can tell by her aura. It’s usually transparent or light blue, but now it’s tinged with red. In battle mode, it turns a bright red, and it’s close to that now.”

Additionally, when she’s with Buddha, it turns from pink to a bright red–

Hakuryu added in his mind.

By controlling her tremendous aura, Ashura could enhance her attacks and defense. She could infuse her aura into her sword or transform it into elements like fire, light, or lightning, though she rarely did.

Defensively, she could concentrate her aura to block attacks. When Pikara kicked her stomach, Ashura focused her aura there instantly, so it didn’t hurt much.

Ryujyu’s current training was also about fixing and controlling his aura. Even as a human, Ashura’s aura was exceptionally abundant, making her overwhelmingly powerful.

For Ryujyu, training wasn’t easy due to the inherent differences in their natural talents.

“Your aura is more like Buddha’s than Ashura’s. It might be easier for you to learn techniques from that type of aura.”

Hakuryu often said this, but seeking Buddha’s teachings is now difficult.

“I joined the master’s cult and was taken care of for a while, but maybe I wasn’t a stellar student.”

Ryujyu said, returning to his concentration.

“Excuse me.”

Upon arriving in heaven through the flow path, Ashura entered Taishakuten’s office without knocking.

“Ah, King Ashura. Welcome.”

Brahma greeted Ashura first, always using polite language with Ashura but fully aware of his superiority.

“The demon has been placed in solitary confinement. Please, this way.”

As usual, Taishakuten guided Ashura with insincere politeness. Ashura sat on a single sofa and got straight to the point.

“The one controlling that pig is quite capable. It’s not just him. The number of demons spreading across the southern and western Asura realms exceeds tens of thousands.”

“A grave matter indeed.”

Brahma responded.

“Is it beyond King Ashura’s ability to handle?”

Both Ashura and Brahma gave Taishakuten a stern look at his words.

“What are you implying? I didn’t come here to whine.”

Ashura scoffed lightly and continued.

“The realm of Asura is heading for an unprecedented war. This isn’t just a skirmish between minor demons. It’s a full-blown rebellion. There’s someone trying to destroy the balance of this world.”

“I see. But why do you say that?”

“Brahma, I believe someone in heaven is aiding them. Otherwise, it doesn’t add up. I’m well aware of the demon gods in the realm of Asura. Although there are certainly candidates, they alone wouldn’t be capable of this.”

The demon gods referred to are those deities from heaven who, due to their constant ugly disputes over possessions or lovers, were cast down to the realm of Asura. Many demon gods existed in Asura. Unlike ordinary demons, they possessed incomparable wisdom, power, and wealth.

Usually, they lived in the mansions of the Asura realm, striving to be reborn in the human world or heaven in their next life. However, some could not escape the path of Asura once they fell. Ashura and her allies kept a close eye on such demon gods.

“Heaven? No, that’s impossible!” exclaimed Taishakuten.

“Hmph. I thought you’d say that. I’ve come to warn you. You’re all too complacent in your peace.”

As she spoke, she recrossed her long legs. Taishakuten caught a glimpse of this out of the corner of his eye.

“Their goal is to conquer Asura and use its military strength to take over heaven. If their target is heaven, it’s a natural course of action. Of course, I won’t let them have Asura. But if there are enemies lurking in heaven, the possibility of being undermined from within is high. I can’t have you being taken down by the rebels first.”

The military force of Taishakuten’s heaven was the largest and strongest among the Six Realms. Even if Ashura’s army numbered ten million, Taishakuten’s forces exceeded one hundred million.

They boasted a highly motivated elite corps. However, because of this, betrayal could easily overturn the current regime.

“Taishakuten, keep a close watch on your subordinates. If there’s anyone suspicious, I’ll personally deal with them.”

With that, Ashura stood up.

“That’s all I have to say. I’ve given my warning.”

Ashura moved to leave the room, signaling that she had no intention of lingering.

“King Ashura!”

Brahma called out to her.

“What is it?”

Half-standing, Brahma composed himself and spoke.

“We understand. Your warning is duly noted. Please take care not to overexert yourself.”

As Brahma bowed his head, Taishakuten followed suit.

“Enough with the theatrics.”

With a dismissive remark at the sight of the two bowing, Ashura disappeared back into the flow path.

—She’s still as sharp as ever about these things—

“What do you think, Taishakuten?”

Brahma asked, resuming his seat and looking at Taishakuten.

“Well, the king’s words have merit. It’s not surprising if someone is manipulating the demon gods of Asura.”

“Indeed… If their target is heaven, the enemy must be here. Begin internal investigations immediately.”

“Yes, sir!”

Brahma left the room, his body swaying as he walked. Taishakuten, having bowed his head once more, glared at the floor until the sound of Brahma’s footsteps faded away.

When Ashura returned to the realm of Asura, Ryujyu and Hakuryu had already gone out on their routine patrol. They were checking on suspicious areas based on information received from Hakuryu’s intelligence unit.

Since this was a tedious task, it was usually left entirely to Hakuryu and Ryujyu. According to Ryujyu, Ashura was a demanding taskmaster.

Ashura lay down on her bed. The rapidly changing situation had left her feeling somewhat fatigued.

Her body was fine. Although many years had passed since her life as a human had ended, she hadn’t had many opportunities to think about strategies and enemy movements. Now, with various mysteries arising all at once, her mind was working at full capacity, causing her brain to feel strained.

As a human, she had always been proactive and victorious. Ashura had been an excellent strategist.

However, this situation was very different from earthly battles. What was the enemy’s objective? How strong were they? She had no idea. Against an invisible enemy, information was crucial.

Currently, Hakuryu’s intelligence unit was working hard, but it still felt inadequate. Up until now, their investigations had only uncovered vague disturbances, so it was understandable.

Ashura sighed deeply. As she closed his eyes, she began to drift off. However, a headache from her fatigue prevented her from falling into a deep sleep.

‘Ashura… Are you okay?’

As she tossed and turned in bed, Buddha appeared.

In reality, it was unclear whether this was Ashura’s dream or if Buddha had entered her dream. When it felt as if she could clearly touch Buddha, it seemed like the latter.

‘Ah, Siddhartha. I’m not sure. I’m a bit tired.’

Ashura called him by his name before enlightenment, Siddhartha.

This would never change.

Buddha lay down beside Ashura and offered his arm. Resting her head on Buddha’s arm, Ashura buried her face in Buddha’s broad chest.

‘Sleep for a while. I’ll be here by your side.’

‘Okay.’

Buddha kissed Ashura’s forehead. As if by magic, Ashura’s headache eased, and she fell into a deep sleep.