The Heavenly Road: God Hunters

Chapter 003 Next Step (revision)

The next day, Kenshin is seen carrying a sword as he heads towards the forest.

"Kenshin! Where are you going with that...?" asked a girl her age to call her, Kesha Timber.

The girl is Kesha Timber, 7 years old. She is very cheerful, tends to worry, and loves to cook.

Kenshin turned his head around, "Will you come...?" ask Kenshin.

"It just so happened that Asta was there too."

"Ehh...?! Seriously? He refused, didn't he...?" Kesha held her chin.

"All right, then I'll come along. I also want to see the progress during these 3 months."

---

Arriving in the forest, there was a noise from someone. "Isn't that his voice?" Kesha.

"But what is he talking about alone?" timpal Kenshin's confused.

The two of them sneaked closer to the source of the voice, and saw the person talking to himself.

"Kenshin! What's your friend doing?" whispered Kesha, hiding behind a tree while peeking with Kenshin.

Kenshin held onto his chin, "Okay, I don't know what that 7-year-old boy did either. Oi! He's your friend too!" timpal Kenshin whispered back.

"We're also 7 years old, you fool!" reply Kesha. "We need to get back now before he gets any weirder. Maybe your father can help her," he asked.

"Wait first. Does this have anything to do with Moegi?" ask Kenshin.

Kesha held her chin, "Maybe," Kesha replied.

"Then, let's find Moegi now," Kesha asked as she withdrew her hand.

However before they left, an arrow suddenly shot out rapidly towards the two of them. Quickly, Kenshin brushed off the arrow with his sword.

On the other hand, Asta smiled at them, "It's not polite to peek like that" he said while hiding his embarrassment.

Who would have thought that anyone had seen him talking to Flares in the forest, even though no one could see Flares.

"Teacher, why don't you tell me they're around here?" asta whispered to his Master.

"How now should I give them an excuse?"

Flares laughed out loud, "Say it's drama practice," Flares said as he continued to laugh.

"Isn't that a good idea?" flares said to Ace, which was answered with a nod and a restraining laugh.

Kenshin put his sword back, "Are you still mad at me for yesterday?" Kenshin.

After standing beside Kenshin, Kesha was blown away from looking at him from head to toe, "No way! How did you grow so fast in 3 months?" he said in disbelief. He even tried to compare his height, and Asta was now much taller than him.

Asta just smiled at the question. He himself did not know what to say.

"Compared to that, I'm more interested in this improvement. The spirit essence really gives you a significant development" Kenshin said of Asta's spirit essence abilities.

Hearing that, Kesha was surprised. Now he realized that Asta only needed another half step to reach the Beginner Realm at this moment.

"I'm leaving! How could I lose to him who had only trained one day?" he was upset while leaving them both.

"Kesh! Where are you going?" call Kenshin.

"I'll practice!" answer's short.

From the opposite direction, three children walked closer. One of them is a woman.

They are Shiro Nekoshi, Zaraki Onoki, and Asila Moegi. All three are 7 years old.

Shiro Nekoshi is a quiet, mysterious and ambitious boy. Meanwhile, Zaraki Onoki is a boy who is nosy, chatty, and difficult to keep quiet. While Asila Moegi is a grumpy girl, jutek, but has a nature of concern for others.

Seeing their arrival, Kesha undoes her intention to practice. "Moe! Quickly follow me!" take Kesha while pulling Moegi.

"What's wrong? Waitaminute! Wait a minute, Kesha!" moegi.

Shiro Nekoshi and Zaraki Onoki opened their eyes wide to see someone not far from there.

"Ah... After a long time we can finally gather like this again," said Zaraki Onoki then ran towards Asta.

Looking at Asta, Moegi's eyes immediately opened wide. "Kesha, let me go. I can run there myself. I've been looking for him for a long time" Moegi said with a faint smile.

"Alright, let's hurry," Kesha asked.

"Of course!" Moegi darted swiftly towards Asta, leaving Kesha dumbfounded.

Asta was surprised not to play. "Damn it! If I knew you were having trouble, I wouldn't be talking to you right now" Asta hurried away from the place.

"Ace, let's go!" his yell.

"Suckers! Where you run, you fucker!" moegi shouted as he darted quickly after Asta.

Kesha looked at Kenshin full of question marks. "What happened between the two of them?" ask Kesha.

"I don't know either. It looks like there's something they're hiding from all of us" Kenshin said.

"I was training in the woods. I overheard her screaming voice and all I heard was Moegi yelling that he was peeping at her while taking a shower in the waterfall. That's what happened" Zaraki said, getting a sharp view of them.

"I suspect you weren't practicing at the time" Shiro accused him of.

"Where possible! Of course I'm practicing" Zaraki dismissed the accusations.

"I agree with you, Shiro," Kenshin said with distrust of Zaraki. He knows the nature of Zaraki well, most likely at that time Zaraki was peering at Asila Moegi, and Asta coincidentally saw the incident.

---

Two years and four months had passed quickly, and time had gone by so quickly. The sun had just emerged from its long slumber, welcoming the world in the eastern horizon. Inside the house, Asta was still soundly asleep.

Ace jumped on his stomach, "Wake up fast!" his yell.

"Ace, you're too loud!" Asta groaned while holding his stomach.

After Asta awakens, Ace goes to the kitchen to continue cooking with Flares.

"How does it feel?" ask Flares, take Ace for a taste.

"It's right," he answered.

---

After breakfast, Flares asked, "Son, what's your decision?"

Flares thrust the Celestial Book at him.

The Celestial Book was a book that contained various Heavenly Arts of the same level. Sometimes, in one Heavenly Book not only contained cultivation methods, but also fighting techniques and other things.

Asta grabbed the book, "Of course I'll help you, Master. I've been wanting to travel and leave the countryside for a long time" he said with a smile.

"However, you should know that helping Master is not easy. There will be many obstacles and strong people who will stand in your way" Flares said.

Asta lifted Ace up and clasped him in a cringe, "As long as Ace is by my side, I am not afraid at all. After all, Master said it two years ago, right?" he said while kissing Ace.

"Ouch... Stop, fool!" said Ace while hitting Asta's face.

"Does Master have a plan...?" Asta puts Ace back on the table.

"Simplistically, Master wants to get a new body, and that's why you have to become a Concocter and Forger" Flares explained.

Asta was surprised, "Teacher wants to come back to life?!" ask him in disbelief.

"Is that really possible?!" continue with doubt.

Flares laughed softly, "Of course it's possible. Actually, Master hasn't really died yet. The rest of Master's soul is before you right now" Flares said.

"Then, can you and mom be revived?" ask Asta with hope.

"Son, the concept is not like that. Not everyone like Master can come back to life," Flares shook his head.

Asta breathed a heavy sigh, "I've guessed it's impossible" he said.

"In that case, hurry up and pack all your things and put them in a ring" Ace said.

"Eh?! Why so rushed? Aren't we going to leave after I reach the Expert Realm...?"

The ring left behind by Arai Ken was the Ocean Jade Ring, a storage artifact. Level 1 storage artifacts alone have an area of 100 square meters. The higher the level, the wider the storage space.

Finished packing her belongings, Asta went to visit Helio Utake at his house and gave her farewell. There, he saw Kenshin sitting alone in front of the house with a cup of tea in front of him.

Kenshin was surprised, "Where did you come from...?" he said while standing.

"From home. Your dad is where he is...?" Answer Asta.

"He was just here. Waita minute..." Kenshin took back his tea glass. However, he was surprised to see his glass empty.

"Are you thirsty?!" kenshin said with annoyance.

"I saw you daydreaming, I couldn't bear to see the tea go cold. So, I drank it," Asta replied with an excuse while showing an innocent face.

"Well?!" Kenshin immediately punches Asta in the stomach. "Where's your manners, damn it!" barrage.

"Ukh-h! Kenshin, you're like Moegi" Asta said, holding his stomach.

Kenshin then dropped it to the ground and sat on his back. "A bad boy like you should be taught a lesson!" kenshin said as he picked up a wooden sword beside him.

"Ahhhh! Goddamn bum! What are you doing?!" asta shouted annoyed. Kenshin suddenly opened his pants.

"You're a jerk...!!" reply Kenshin while punching with the wooden sword towards Asta's butt.

"Gee! Ow hell! All right, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Stop everyone..!!" exciting Asta.

However, instead of stopping, Kenshin actually strengthened his punch. "It's too late, damn it..!! Time to learn..!!"

"Sir! Buk up! Tubs! Buk up! Tubs! Buk!"

The wooden sword violently landed on Asta's buttocks, accompanied by the sound of rhythmic blows.

"Uncle Helio...!!! Kenshin..!!! I came here to say something important to you...!! Uncle! Where are you...?!" asta shouted to Helio Utake.

Kenshin ignored him and continued to beat him. A moment later, Helio came over while shaking his head softly upon seeing that scene. As usual, he carried a tray full of food and drinks.

Kenshin stopped his actions due to the arrival of Helio. Asta let out an annoyed grunt voice.

"Come, let's eat first" Helio Utake asked.

---

"So, what's the important thing that brought you to look for me?" ask Helio after eating.

"In short, I want to say my wish to leave the village after reaching the Expert Realm. My development is hampered if I only rely on training here. I feel that the experience of real combat can help my development" Asta explained.

Helio was surprised to hear that his development was hampered, "How is it possible? Your spirit essence is a God Spirit, there should be no problem in your development."

Helio is confused between letting Asta go or not, especially since his goal is to seek out real experiences. He thought Asta would leave the village to look for trouble with the people for the sake of his development.

"My cultivation is fine indeed, but my martial development is lagging behind compared to my realm enhancement," Asta explained some of the reasons he made, despite the fact that his understanding of bare-handed fighting techniques did not run into any problems.

"It's not Uncle's intention to hold back your development, but the state of the world out there is in chaos. Uncle is worried you'll be looking for trouble in the middle of the bloodshed that's going on everywhere. Listen, only here can you live in comfort and peace." said Helio trying to persuade him not to leave the village.

However, Asta looks more interested than hesitant. "It is precisely this opportunity for me to increase my reputation" Asta said with a satisfied smile that left Helio speechless.

"In addition, Uncle Helio also knew that my goal in cultivation was not only to keep quiet, but also to seek the whereabouts of father and mother" he added, making Helio even more desperate.

"If you want to gain experience through combat, I can be your opponent. We can do it every day if you want" Kenshin said.

Asta sighed. "My reasoning isn't just about looking for a fight. There was another reason why I wanted so badly to leave the village" he replied.

"Uncle, I hope you're not hindering my development. Didn't you agree to help me get my revenge...?" asta urges Helio to let him leave the village.

Helio breathed a long breath. "Although Uncle forbids, will you follow Uncle's decision...?" helio gave up.

"But remember this message, this village will always be your homeland. If you're tired and need rest, you can go home. We're all waiting for you" Helio said.

Asta nodded his head while smiling happily. "Of course," despite being given permission, Helio also told him about the Ancient Beasts.

"Before you leave, this might be the last lesson Uncle will give you, about the Spirit Beasts. There are many advantages you can get if you can make a contract with them," even though Asta already knew about it from his Master, he still chose to listen to it.

Spirit Animals are creatures that have undergone evolution and have the unique strength and intelligence of Animal Spirits. The level of Spirit Beasts was divided into 11 levels that were in line with the level of cultivation.

The Spirit Treaty contract was a method where a cultivator could tie his spirit essence with the spirit essence of a Spirit Beast. This allows them to gain strength from each other. The Spirit Agreement contract occurs when both parties agree and acknowledge each other to bind their spirit essence.

This Spirit Agreement contract will be valid until one of them dies. That is, both parties will maintain a mutually beneficial and interdependent relationship until one of them ends his or her life.

"As you know, Spirit Beasts are quite stubborn and arrogant creatures. They will only be willing to make a Spirit Agreement Contract if you are able to obtain their acknowledgement. However, it looks like you can make a deal with Ace. You need to know, he is not an ordinary wolf," Helio said divulging a secret that Asta had actually known.

Looking at Asta's expression, Kenshin guessed, "It seems you intend to make Ace your Spirit Animal, don't you...?"

Asta smiled in agreement, "Despite that, it remains Ace who will determine. If he is really interested in following me, then I will make him my Spirit Animal. However, if not, he freely chose to return to living freely in the forest." Asta knew how powerful Ace was when they fought together, and he had no intention of forcing him at all.

"Alright, thank God," Helio heaved a sigh of relief hearing Asta would not force the decision. After Helio finished explaining about the Spirit Beasts in detail, Asta uttered a word to continue his training.

"Asta! Where else did you go?! Lest you forget what you said two years ago," Kenshin held Asta's shoulder from leaving.

During this time Kenshin was still curious about what Asta said two years ago, whether it was just a conception or Asta was really seriously able to break his attack with a simple gesture.

"I hope you're ready to accept my challenge this time to prove what you said two years ago" Kenshin challenged.

"Ah... I almost forgot about it, thankfully you remind me," Asta said enthusiastically.

"Let's see if you remain arrogant after losing for the second time" Kenshin said with a look of disdain.

Helio smiled at the spirit of his son, "Alright. If so, let me be the mediator" he offered.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" ask Kenshin dismissively.

"Who knew you needed a protector" he continued, only to be answered with a smile.

After Helio started, Kenshin launched his first attack casually, but Asta managed to evade it successfully.

"Thanks to my lap practice with Ace, now I can see his movements very clearly. Compared to Ace, his movements were still too slow," Asta observed.

The fight looks balanced, although Kenshin is more dominant in attacking, Asta easily avoids his attacks.

"The same technique won't be useful to me" Asta exclaimed.

"I still haven't used all my abilities. This is just the beginning" replied Kenshin.

Kenshin realizes that his attack is easily blocked, then he changes his attack pattern into a stab.

Seeing Kenshin getting serious about attacking, Helio looked worried and wanted to stop their fight. But before that, Asta gave Helio a code so as not to worry and not intend to stop the fight.

The fight continues. With the pattern of attacks constantly changing, Asta began to be cornered. He had trouble reading Kenshin's movement patterns.

"Aihh... Have you given up? What about what you say?" tease Kenshin.

Asta seems to ignore the taunts and prefers to continue studying and avoiding his attacks.

"Dull... Looks like you're just bragging. I hope you can avoid this" Kenshin said once again.

"Black Intermediate Heavenly Art! Killer Stab!" Kenshin leapt back and prepared to attack by thrusting his sword.

Asta realized that he could not avoid the attack. "Low Golden Heavenly Art! Blow the Plumbers of the Haga!" Hot light gathered around his hands.

In one move, Kenshin slid forward, and Asta happily greeted the tip of his sword using his punch.

"Young!"

With one blow, Asta managed to destroy the sword until it hit the left chest of Kenshin. Kenshin bounced back and landed on the ground in shock, looking at the metal fragments of his sword. Without his sword, of course he could not continue his fight.

Although Asta had obtained victory, he did not look satisfied at all. "What did you mean by that? Are you trying to kill me?!" Asta regulated his breath that was panting.

"What are you talking about? You're the one who wanted to kill me. Just tell me you're mocking me, damn it!" objection Kenshin.

"Alright, alright. Don't argue anymore. You two take a break. I still have business to take care of, so I go first" Helio said, leaving them both.

After Helio was nowhere to be seen again, Asta burst into laughter.

"What are you laughing at, asshole?!" kenshin exclaimed, annoyed to see Asta laughing.

"Haha... Of course it's funny to me to see the expression on your face" he said, pointing at Kenshin's face.

Kenshin doesn't care. After he finished laughing, Kenshin began to ask, "I'm confused by your thoughts. Though you've heard from my father that the current state of the world is in chaos. Why are you still so stubborn as to want to leave the village? Is there something wrong with your brain?" kenshin asked while pointing at his head.

Asta approached and whispered something in Kenshin's ear, "Of course I want to prove my manhood. Namely by conquering many beautiful women out there, then I can be called a real man. Unlike you, my outlook and purpose are very clear" Asta whispered to her. After that, he returned to his seat.

Kenshin smiled, thinking of something that might upset him. "What about Asila Moegi? What are you gonna do to her? Are you really going to just throw it away after harassing her? Are you that asshole?" Kenshin.

Hearing the name Asila Moegi mentioned, Asta's gaze became sharp. "There's no way I like a bouncer girl like her. What's more, I accidentally peeked at her, "elak Asta.

Kenshin laughed when he heard it. "Then what's the difference? You still have abused him. Haha...!" kenshin laughed at him.

"Ah, shit!" Hearing Kenshin's unceasing mention of Asila Moegi's name made Asta even more upset. Asta then wakes Ace up and takes him home, leaving Kenshin still seen laughing at him.