Heroes of the Holy War

"Once upon a time, there was a story about gods. Beings who traveled through our world from planet to planet, either destroying or inhabiting them. These gods traveled in pairs, a man and a woman, so that if necessary, they could start life on a new planet. But there was one exception: twin brothers, gods of Creation and Destruction, Yin and Yang. They were not interested in traveling but in fighting—a perpetual battle between them. Each had dreams: Yin, the god of destruction, wished for the universe to find balance in darkness under his rule, while Yang longed for peace, wanting the universe to achieve harmony. However, these dreams were unattainable because they embodied good and evil. Eternally, they had to fight each other, and when one died, the other found no meaning in life. When they reached a planet inhabited by dinosaurs, they both decided to stop fighting and to care for the planet. They caused the planet's destruction so that it could regenerate and began nurturing the planet, which was called Earth. When monkeys began evolving into humans, Yin decided to help them by accelerating their evolution directly into humans, modifying their DNA to 'divine Yin and Yang.' This initiated mutations in humans, leading to the natural generation of energy that was later called mana. When humanity began building villages and developing their language, Yin and Yang decided to renounce their divinity to live among them. And when their children were born, Izumi Yang and Grre Yin, the era of the Yin and Yang forces—light and shadow—began to repeat."

Kaen, after reading this, mutters under his breath, 

"A story about gods turning into humans... a fairy tale." A moment later, Akira enters the room and says, 

"Lian is changing plans." Startled, Kaen jumps and then, calming down, asks, 

"What plans?"

Four and a half years had passed since they began training with Lian, one of the great trio. Our heroes and their wards had grown significantly in strength and learned interesting techniques. Lian and Lyra interrupt the training because a certain artifact has been found

"The Sword of Legends. A mystical-class artifact. The sword has the ability to merge with the user's soul and adapt to the user. Its appearance, powers, or size depends on the soul of the one who holds it," says Lian, pacing around the table. 

"What's the catch?" asks Hana, to which Lian responds, 

"The sword is only for the 'Worthy,' meaning you must have a strong will or be certain of your actions and not see your flaws."

"And that's what being worthy means?" Kazoto asks, mocking Lian's words. 

"The sword will respect only those who are sure of their actions and not selfish jerks," Lian says.

Taking the sword, Kazoto says, 

"The sword can look like any other when it is in a state of rest (waiting for its owner). It may look like any ordinary sword, but once it finds its owner, the sword emits a specific aura."

Lian puts the sword down, then placing a door in the center of the room, says, 

"You will find this sword, and if any of you are worthy, you will take it." Writing symbols on the door, he grabs Akira, Kaen, and Kazoto, and throws them through the door. The boys land in a meadow near a village. Hana exits, saying, 

"I wonder who will be worthy."

Then, before them, doors appear and open, from which Gamble and the rest, including Elias, emerge. Seeing Akira, Gamble asks, 

"And what are you doing here?" Akira asks the same. After explanations, Lyra also sends Gamble and the rest to find the sword and to train Elias in the field.

"And what, you're growing your hair out, Akira?" Gamble asks. Akira, tying his hair into a ponytail, says, 

"I haven't had time to go to the barber." Aki, adjusting his hair, tries to get Akira's attention, but Kazoto interrupts, saying, 

"And what about your agreement? I would love to watch your fight." Akira, adjusting his scarf, says, 

"Step back a bit," then attacks Gamble, who perfectly blocks the strike. As the others step back to watch the fight, Kaen asks, 

"How did you meet him?" to which Kaido replies, 

"Elias is Lyra's son."

Kazoto offers a fist bump, 

"I'm Kazoto, the greatest ninja of the Arashi clan," he says boastfully. Elias blushes and hides behind Aki, saying softly and shyly, 

"N-nice to meet you." Aki chuckles and says, 

"You're going to miss the show," pointing to the fight between Akira and Gamble. Elarina suddenly runs out from behind a nearby tree and jumps on Kaen. 

"And where did she come from?" Kazoto, startled, asks. Kaen and Elarina greet each other, while Kazoto, Hana, and Elias begin watching the fight closely. Akira performs very fast and powerful attacks, while Gamble plays defensively. 

"They're not fighting at 100%," says Elias, sitting down next to Hana and Kazoto. 

"Mr. Gamble only fights defensively when he knows there's no way out," Elias adds, just as Akira fires four mana projectiles, and Gamble accidentally deflects two of them towards Kaen and Kazoto. Aki blocks the projectile, and Elias catches it, then sends it back to Gamble, who absorbs it.

"Nice reflexes," says Hana, to which Elias blushes even more than before and hides behind Aki. Returning to the fight, Akira begins to be pushed against the wall by Gamble, who starts using spells. The fight is in full swing when the city guard arrives and stops the fight. 

"What do you think you're doing, fighting so close to the city!" the guard says. Gamble apologizes, bowing, and Akira notices they are being watched. When Gamble grabs him by the collar and forces him to bow, the guard leaves, and Akira looks around for the person he saw. As they start walking towards the city, Elarina asks Akira, 

"How do girls get pregnant?" Akira, surprised by the question, says, 

"What, did you cheat on Kaen?" Elarina gives him a menacing look, and Elias approaches and says, 

"I'd like to know too."

Akira looks at Gamble, who is quietly laughing. Akira sighs and says, 

"Well, since you're asking, from what Gamble told me, you need a boy and a girl, and they have to love each other VEEERY much." Akira pauses, glancing at Gamble, who can't contain his laughter. Akira starts speaking again, 

"The act of intercourse. You'll find out when you're alone." Gamble stops laughing and looks at Akira in surprise, 

"You know such words?!" says a very surprised Gamble.

"And can a boy get pregnant?" Elias asks, and Akira responds, 

"Didn't your mother teach you that?" When they reach the city, the group starts scouting. However, after an entire day passes, Akira suggests they split into three groups and rent rooms in different parts of the city. Akira, Aki, and Hana head east. Gamble, Kaido, and Elias go west. Kazoto, Kaen, and Elarina head south. On their way to rent a room, Kaen and Kazoto want to enter a restaurant. Elarina gives in, and when they enter, they witness a brawl. A team from the Seeker's Guild is bullying two boys, pouring soup on them as everyone laughs. When they grab the girl sitting next to them and start groping her, one of the boys draws a sword, but the man immediately knocks it out of his hand. Mocking the boy, the man tries to lift the sword but is unsuccessful, as if the sword were far too heavy for him. Kaen attacks, delivering a perfect dropkick to the man's face. Kazoto strikes two others with Raigan, knocking them out. When the one holding the girl takes her as a hostage, saying, 

"D-don't come closer or I'll ki-" he doesn't finish as Elarina knocks him out from behind."