[Weapon] Ignorance

[Kao]

Nestled in a rocky mountainside in Waterfall Country was a large, centuries-old temple. It had been well tended for generations and had seen hundreds of monks pass through, each seeking spiritual growth and enlightenment. Normally the temple was bustling with monks tending to their chores, and despite all the activity it was still relatively quiet at all times. One chilly day seemed like all the others, quiet and calm. But the stillness that hung in the air was heavier. Ominous.

The path that led to the main building of the temple, normally free of any kind of debris thanks to the diligent monks, was covered in splintered wood. The wood pieces grew in size closer to the temple building, some of them covered in blood and pieces of flesh. The debris continued right up to the temple doors, which had been blown apart and had scattered into the surrounding forest. The scene inside was no better. Part of the northern wall had been completely destroyed, exposing the sacred space to the outdoors. Inside near the sacred altar lie five bodies, four of them dressed in the robes typical of high ranking monks. The fifth was unlike the rest, dressed in heavy looking armor and wielding a weapon unbecoming of a holy man.

His body lied just in front of the altar. On top of the altar lie a ring, unblemished despite the surrounding carnage. It was completely out of place, not something one would expect in such a holy place. Nevertheless, the monks had defended it fiercely. There was something strange about it. Powerful.

A lone figure stood at the destroyed doorway, and there was nothing stopping him from approaching the altar.

[Zao]

At the hole in the northern wall that appeared to be in complete chaos from being destroyed could be found a trio of almost demonic creatures, one was an almost black skin humanoid looking spirit that had six arms and an upper body that appeared to be human while its lower half was that of an elephant, and its head was covered in vibrant armored help but one could easily distinguish the four curved tusks and three separated trunks. In one of its left hands a massive tower shield appeared to have been slammed into the ground standing slightly taller than the twenty five meter tall spirit itself while in two of the right hands were a pair of curved bladed scimitars. Other weapons and another shield could be seen hanging from the demonic elephants body as it remained vigilant.

The second was a demonic looking ape creature with folded wings upon its back, a long leather like tail that had its tip lightly thumping against the ground as it took off to the elephants right side observing its own sector after the battle had seemingly been won. Within its he hands of the twenty five meter tall demon ape/gorilla was a thirty meter long black spear that had its shiny spear blade tip pointed towards the sky with the butt of the spear upon the debris covered ground under its feet. It's gain was one filled with bloodlust as it felt the battle had ended to quickly, disappointment could be found in its gaze at the bodies that littered the ground outside the temple.

Directly behind those in the opening created in the wall was a curled mass of green scales that was every bit as long as the previous two spirits were tall, only appearing smaller due to its curled pose, the swamp serpent Apep lazily flicked her tongue from the small gap in her sharp mouth as the snake's cobra like hood was only partially spread out at this point. A long serpent sword protruded from the tip of the snake's tail as the closed mouth hid a handful of senbon within the spirits poison filled maw as droplets of a thick purple liquid seeped from the corners of the snake's mouth at the moment as its head seemed to just be resting on the thick jade green body of itself.

Within the temple itself, amongst the bodies of the five monks who had been tasked with guarding this old treasure store, stood a man cloaked in a dark robe that had a hood portion pulled up to conceal the majority of the man's face, but what it was unable to hide was a crimson horn that twisted from left temple of his face about six-to-eight inches in length. This figure who a set of black and red armor under the cloak an was none other the former Suna bannin, Zao Saisuko, only now his body was the vessel from the Demon Hegemon. The Demon King had been searching for just this item that was before him, having utilized the memories of the bannin and the man's previous black market contacts the spirit had tracked down the location of a dark treasure which had existed when he was last within the human realm before. It was only one of a handful he could remember but eventually he would gather them all as his plans slowly started to become set in place.

Around the man and the alter area was a purple ninpou barrier (40 strength) that he'd casted to prevent any of the monks from escaping for help measuring about four meters cubed, within that barrier with him were both of his normal companions. The flower fairy was still curled around his right arm, glowing faintly with golden chakra as a murky cloud of sand slowly rotated just inside the barrier around the alter and outside of their own position forming a type of dual defense for the battle that had just ended. Meanwhile the Bannin's other former companion Toge could be found with its ten meter body wrapped around a pair of the dead monks biting away at their flesh, quickly working on consuming their body to empower itself. Yet, these weren't the only companions here inside the broken temple grounds with him as the Hegemon had brought out all of his host's body's power in this attack, feeling no need to hold anything back at this point.

Flanked to either side were a pair of three-to-four meter tall, clocked figures that radiated ominous pressure from them, these two were two of the demon's three spirit puppet retainers Tako and Gogyou. Circling just above the heads of those on the ground and directly above the alter was another puppet bound spirit that looked like some form of wood dragon. This was the jourui of the storm dragon Shi, appearing to be casually gliding through its four wings as it just slowly circled its target. Though the battle up to this point had been chaotic, it had also been a rather brief one due to the overwhelming force which the Hegemon had brought out and combined with the abilities of the body he was now in possession of. Without any further hesitation the man stepped forward disappearing from sight and appearing pass the last armored monk that could have been confused for some sort of Holy Knight, a crimson clawed hand appearing from beneath the cloak's dark fabric as it snatched away its targeted prize.

But he couldn't help but front slightly, the power that normally was expelled by formerly grand ring he remembered from the past was almost nonexistent. 'What have these despicable human's done to such a powerful artifact?' An irritated sneer formed on the porcelain white face of the Demon as it went to tuck away, it appeared that he'd need to discover a way to recover the items former power...