Tap! Tap! Tap!
Footsteps echoed through the vast underground hall as a figure walked toward its center.
Anyone familiar with the place would have noticed that this hall, deep underground, had exactly the same layout as the hall on the surface.
The only difference was that all the patterns on the ceiling of the hall above were dark, save for one that flickered.
In the underground hall, however, all the patterns on the ceiling glowed gold, save for one that remained dark.
The footsteps stopped. The old man who had come down from the surface stood in the center of the hall and spoke.
"Chrysanthemum Lord, Fiend Lord, something has gone wrong in Kyoto Prefecture. Let's take a look together."
As he spoke, strange scraping sounds came from two directions in the darkness.
Soon, two figures emerged from the shadows.
They were also old men, but unlike the first, they had numerous vine-like things embedded in their backs.
The strange scraping sounds came from the vines carrying the two old men along.
When the two old men stopped beneath the light cast by the patterns overhead, the scraping did not cease.
Soon, dozens of vines appeared behind the first old man.
As the old man spread his arms, the vines plunged into his back one by one.
After a soft moan of pleasure, the vines lifted him into the air.
Seeing this, the man addressed as the Fiend Lord chuckled. "Spirit Lord, if staying up there is uncomfortable, have a Chrysanthemum Guardian take your place. I wouldn't want you absent from our great undertaking."
The Spirit Lord slowly opened his eyes and said flatly, "Get to work."
The Fiend Lord smiled.
Then, supported by the vines, the Fiend Lord rose steadily into the air. He stopped when he approached the