Tengoku e no Hangyaku - Rebellion against Heaven (english version)

Chapter 3: The Path of Pain

Ryuusei stood in the darkness of that cursed forest, surrounded by an eerie silence. His heart was pounding, and though he tried to appear serene, a part of him was terrified. Aiko was walking beside him, her small footsteps echoing in the damp earth.

-Ryuusei-nii... do you think we can get out of this alive? -Aiko asked, her voice trembling.

The boy sighed, trying to remain calm.

-Of course we do. We only have to hold out for three days. It's not that long... isn't it? -he tried to joke, although he didn't believe his own words.

The group stopped in a clearing in the forest. There were now five of them: Aiko, Daichi, a serious 17-year-old; Kenta, a 15-year-old boy with a carefree air; and Haru, a 16-year-old girl with a calculating look. Ryuusei informed them that he would explore a little, without going too far away.

-Don't take too long, we don't know what kind of crazies are loose around here," Haru warned him.

Aiko looked at him with concern, but nodded. Next to her, Daichi Mokuren, a tall boy with messy hair and a somber look, remained silent. He just watched.

Ryuusei wandered into the thicket and, without realizing it, found the entrance to a cave hidden among the rocks. Curiosity prompted him to enter. The atmosphere was stifling, but something in the background glowed. His footsteps echoed in the cavern until he came upon a dust-covered altar. Above it rested two pairs of weapons: a pair of daggers with ancient inscriptions and two hammers adorned with spikes and strange runes.

He took the daggers first. They were small, with arcane inscriptions on their edge. He swung it in the air, feeling its weight... and in an instant, his surroundings changed. He had advanced several meters without even moving. His heart raced.

-What the... what the hell?! -he exclaimed, surprised.

He tried again. He threw a daggers and instantly felt himself pulled towards it. A laugh escaped his lips.

-This is incredible... Teleportation?!

Then he picked up the hammers. They were heavy, adorned with spikes and sinister runes. With a simple swing, he struck the cave wall and a shockwave shook the ground. He grinned.

-Definitely, this is going to come in handy....

But the feeling of euphoria was short-lived. A shadow moved at the entrance of the cave. Ryuusei stood on guard as a woman with a curvaceous figure, crimson eyes and black hair slowly advanced towards him, a scythe dripping with blood. She smiled in a disturbing manner.

-Well, well... what an interesting boy..." His voice was honeyed, but his eyes exuded madness. -His voice was honeyed, but his eyes exuded madness.

Ryuusei swallowed his breath. He knew he should fight, but his body trembled.

-I don't want to kill you, but if you insist.... -he said, trying to sound confident.

The woman smiled cruelly and lunged at him. Ryuusei barely had time to dodge her attack. His body reacted on instinct, throwing one of the daggers. He teleported behind her and delivered a slash to her back, but his opponent spun quickly and thrust a dagger into his shoulder.

-Ahh, shit! Ryuusei roared, recoiling from the burning wound.

The woman scoffed as she watched him bleed.

Ryuusei's hands shook. He couldn't control it. He felt his heart hammering against his chest as if it wanted to escape. Cold sweat ran down his back as his stomach twisted. The woman smiled, her crimson eyes shining with pleasure… as if she enjoyed watching him bleed.

-Poor baby... Does it hurt? -she licked her lips.

Ryuusei was breathing heavily, his mind fighting fear. If he didn't do something, he would die there. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his trembling body.

"No... I can't die here..." he muttered, gritting his teeth.

He teleported behind her, using both daggers in a quick attack. The woman screamed as her torso was pierced by multiple cuts. She tried to fight back, but Ryuusei raised the hammer and smashed it into her skull. A sickening sound echoed as her bones broke.

Hrk...- the woman fell to her knees, her face disfigured, Ryuusei felt disgust and relief at the same time, seeing the dead woman with her face all disfigured.

Suddenly, a scream in the distance brought him out of his thoughts. The group was in danger!

He ran back, and the scene was absolute chaos. Haru, Aiko, Daichi, Kenta, were surrounded by several assassins with sadistic looks. Aiko trembled, holding a small dagger, while Haruto already had blood on his face. Daichi fought fiercely.

-Ryuusei, help!" Aiko screamed.

Kenta attacked with a war cry, but an opponent pierced his leg with a spear.

-SHIT! MY LEG, MY LEG! -Kenta screamed, falling to the ground.

The spear was still embedded in his leg. His piercing scream echoed through the forest, but his attacker showed no mercy. He twisted the spear inside the wound, causing blood to gush out in a hot stream. Kenta screamed even louder, but the pain was soon replaced by a feeling of numbness and terror.

Aiko, pale, ran up and stabbed Kenta's attacker in the neck with her dagger, then backed away in fear. One of the attackers lunged at her, but Daichi blocked it with his sword. Haru moved with precision, taking out two enemies with clean cuts.

The battle turned into a bloodbath. Haru was slashed in the arm and spat out blood after being punched in the stomach. Aiko sobbed as she narrowly dodged an axe that nearly split her in two.

Without thinking, Ryuusei threw one of his daggers and appeared behind an enemy, stabbing him in the back. Blood spurted violently. The man screamed, but Ryuusei didn't stop. His mind was clouded... He didn't want to die. After a few seconds, Ryuusei saw the man he had stabbed multiple times from behind on the ground and began vomiting for the two people he had killed.

The boy fell back, panting. His breathing was ragged, his body shaking from head to toe. The adrenaline was wearing off and reality hit him hard.

-Is this... what it means to survive here...?" he asked himself, his stomach churning.