Kurou, Riddle and Tut marched towards the big city of Luxor, much to the Post-Mortal's dismay.

"Do we really have to go there, kiddo? It's a big city, and there's nothing for us there but curious stares and troublemakers", Kurou grumbled.

"You need decent clothes, and I need to eat", Tut said. "We'll stand out less as soon as you stop looking like a vagabond".

"That hurts, you know", Kurou retorted. "I'm not gonna wear fancy silk tunics like yours, okay? Cause you look like you're straight out of a fuckin’ history book".

"I'll take that as a compliment", Tut said, not amused. "Now come on".

As they reached the city, Kurou's prediction proved true. Everybody would stop and look at a man dressed in rags, walking alongside a young man dressed in fine white clothes and a jackal.

"What is this material we are standing on?", Tut asked, examining the asphalt beneath his feet. "And what about those vehicles traversing at high speed? Is this really Egypt?".

"This is asphalt", Kurou answered, looking down. "It's...made of a material I don't remember which. And those vehicles are cars. I imagined you used horses and chariots to travel long distances, am I right?".

"Or camels, depending on the need", Tut pointed out. "This is incredible. I can't believe Egypt has developed into this".

"Well, I honestly think it would have been better if you all stayed the way you were in the past, you know", Kurou said. "This urbanization process is kinda ruining the planet".

"I see. That may be the reason why I have been revived", Tut said. "Egypt would be different if I hadn't been killed so untimely".

"You're telling me the whole future would have changed had you lived a longer life?", Kurou asked. "Aren't you being a little pretentious now?".

Anger filled Tut's face for a moment. "A Pharaoh's ambition is never pretentious. What I do, the Gods allow me to do. Amon-Ra looks after me and sanctions my every move. Anyone who dares stand against the Pharaoh will suffer the consequences".

"Wow, easy now, big fella", Kurou said, with an irritating smirk. "That attitude won't get you very far unless you have some real superpowers, you know? I, for instance, could have died at least a half-dozen times just to find you. How do you plan on staying alive if you are just a human being?".

"I'll show you. Come with me", Tut said, full of confidence. Kurou smelled fresh water, and saw the Nile River. Tut approached a man holding a rope tied to a boat.

What happened next was definitive proof that Kurou's new friend was the Pharaoh Tutankhamon, and no one else. The young man's eyes glowed silver as he spoke a language Kurou could understand, yet at the same time felt like Horus talking to his mind.

"Find us some discreet clothing for this man, food for The King to eat, and also to this sacred animal. Then, you will traverse the river with us and tell no one about it".

The man kneeled and answered in the same language, "Yes, Your Majesty". Then, he went on full speed to fetch everything.

"Wow, that was impressive, buddy", Kurou said. "What language was that?".

"It was Ancient Egyptian. That's a funny thing to ask, since it's exactly the same language you have been speaking to me all this time", Tut replied.

"ANCIENT EGYPTIAN?", Kurou said out loud, attracting everyone's attention and burying his head into his neck. "I never learned a damn thing about Ancient Egyptian, and you're telling me I'm speaking it with you?".

“First of all, don't curse while saying anything about Egypt, okay? I'll smack your head off with my cane", Tut scolded, disapprovingly.

"Dude, why does everyone in this place act like my mother? I'm not trying to offend anyone, you know? It's just how I speak", Kurou said, throwing a little tantrum.

"Hahaha, now who's acting like a little boy?", Tut remarked, amused. "Come on, our stuff is ready".

"Just a second, Tut", Kurou halted. "If you speak Ancient Egyptian, I imagine you can read hieroglyphs too, right?".

"For the most part, I guess. Unless the language has changed too much after I died".

"Okay", Kurou said, contemplative. "When I asked Riddle's name, he pointed me three figures: a jackal, a woman with a feather in her head, and an ankh. Any ideas on what that could be?".

Tut's eyes went wide. He looked at Riddle, then at Kurou. Then he looked away, lost in thought for a second.

"So?", Kurou pushed.

Tut's eyes glowed silver again. "The jackal is Inpu. The woman with a feather is Ma'at. The ankh has a few different meanings, but in this context I suppose it means life and death".

"Inpu!", Kurou said out loud again. "Who's Inpu?".

"Inpu is the God of the Dead, Kurou", Tut said solemnly. He is the one who attends the Weighing of the Heart and sends people to the afterlife, when they're worthy. He is also the God in charge of embalming the Pharaoh so he can meet the Gods after his passing".

"Ramses told me my fate rests with Inpu", Kurou said.

"You talked to Ramses?", Tut asked, showing evident distress.

"Yes, at the temple of Abu Simbel. He was kind of a ghostly asshole, though. His follower tried to kill me, can you imagine that? But he bit more than he could chew", Kurou said, triumphant.

"This is bad, Kurou", Tut said gravely. "Ramses was not supposed to know about you".

"What do you mean?", Kurou asked.

"We don't have time. Let's go to the boat, quickly!", Tut said, but it was too late. Three men surrounded Kurou, Tut and Riddle. The jackal growled menacingly at them.

"Tut, climb aboard. I'll deal with them", Kurou exclaimed, drawing the same knife he had stolen from the follower he killed at Abu Simbel.

"I won't leave you two here", Tut said. "I'm a King and I can fight like one!".

One of the followers attacked Tut, but he was surprisingly good with the cane. In a few swift moves, he hit the man in his knee and chin, and the man dropped to the ground, knocked out.

The two other followers ignored Tut and Riddle and went straight for Kurou. Kurou couldn't hold an evil grin. "So you guys want a piece of me? Come and get it, you fuckers!".

Both men were armed with knives similar to the one in Kurou's hand. One of them stabbed Kurou in his liver, and the other went for his neck. Kurou seized the opportunity and went straight for the first one's neck too, drawing a fountain of blood out of his jugular.

The follower's dead body went heavy and dropped to the floor, causing Kurou to lose balance. Riddle wanted to join the brawl but Kurou didn't let him. The other man used that opportunity to push him to the ground and pound his face with heavy stomps, until Kurou stopped moving.

"Kurou!", Tut screamed.

Just as the follower had directed his attention to Tut and was ready to throw his weapon at the young Pharaoh, an image of a knife crossed the air and landed on the man's back, disappearing right after the blow.

"What...is...this?", the man asked, choking in his own blood.

Kurou's bloodied face stood up from the ground, with a satisfied grin.

"That's my shadow, you motherfucker!".

The follower collapsed to the ground, dead.

"Kurou!", Tut shouted. "Are you alright?".

"I'm fine, buddy. A bit of blood got into my eye, but that's not a big deal. I've been worse, believe me".

"Those guys attacked you like real savages! I seriously don't understand how you could come out of that skirmish alive", Tut said, amazed.

"I guess it's a quirk of mine, good Pharaoh. I'm just too stubborn to die", Kurou said half-jokingly.

"Okay, now let's go before things get even worse. To the boat", Tut said hurriedly.

As they got on board and Tut ate an apple, he felt a little better. Riddle was munching on a piece of raw meat. Kurou didn't want anything, as he was in a bad mood after having his face pounded against the ground too many times to count.

"I understand you're feeling a bit down because you...huh...took a beating", Tut said, earning an impatient look from Kurou. "But you were outnumbered, and I think you are only being careless because you know you can come back unharmed. Maybe you would change your fighting style if you knew you could get hurt, which I highly encourage of you, since you don't know what kind of danger is out there".

"What about you? Where did you learn how to fight like that? And how can you fight if you have trouble walking?", Kurou retorted.

"This leg is an unfortunate heritage. I was born with a few deformities, including a flat foot and a curved spine. That was probably the cause of my untimely death, since my vizier and other figures believed I wasn't strong enough to maintain the throne".

"You didn't answer my question", Kurou insisted. "I want to know how you can fight like that".

"I have always had great interest in military affairs", Tut said. "Even with my limitations, I practiced staff fighting, bow and arrow, learned how to fight on armor. Magnificent samples of those weapons and tools were supposed to rest alongside my body when I died, but the Ancient Rituals were desecrated long ago, and all the treasure has either been stolen by smugglers or taken away by modern governments".

"Stolen", Kurou remarked.

"Whatever", Tut said. "Now what I really want to know is how you managed to throw a knife at a man's back if you were not even holding your arm up. Care to explain?".

"It seems I can manipulate my shadow, like an aura, or mirror image. Something like that", Kurou said.

"Benefits of Post-Mortality, if I might risk a guess", Tut said.

"You know about that?", Kurou asked, surprised.

"Just a little. The Weighing of the Heart is not a ritual a mortal is supposed to escape, Kurou. If you did manage to run away from it, it's quite possible that your soul has changed somehow. Only the Gods can tell you the truth. I'm sorry if I don't have all the answers you seek".

"It's fine. We're here. Wait a sec. Wha...".

A loud noise and a heavy crash interrupted Kurou.

"What the hell is going on, Tut?", Kurou shouted. Riddle let out an alarming cry.

"I don't know! Looks like something is crashing onto the boat...like a hippo! And a very big one at that!", Tut said in a loud voice.

"Hippo? Did you just say hippo? FUCK! Run, Tut, run Riddle!", Kurou screamed.

"Why are you so scared? A hippo won't destroy the boat so easily", Tut said.

"It's not just any hippo, Tutankhamon. It's AMMIT!", Kurou said, swallowing hard.

"Ammit? The monster Ammit? Are you crazy?", Tut screamed. "That creature is not supposed to exist in the mortal world!".

"Yeah, yeah, neither are we, but here we are, now go!", Kurou yelled.

As they got off the boat, the giant head of a crocodile with lion front paws could be seen jumping on top of it, crushing it like a toy and diving back into the water, showing its powerful hippopotamus rear legs. It was immense, about ten times the size of a Nile Crocodile. It was also an adept swimmer, so Kurou and his party had to run at full speed just to make sure it wouldn't reach them.

Kurou panted out of fear alone, since his stamina was endless. Being a Post-Mortal meant the fatigue caused by over-exerting his body was nullified by the supernatural forces that inexplicably kept it together. Tut panted for real, courtesy of his physical limitations. Riddle was fine, since jackals are very good hunters and can run long distances effortlessly. But they were all terrified at the sight they just saw.

"I can't believe Ammit is here. The Devourer!", Tut said, incredulous. "You have to stay clear of that monster, Kurou. Even I am powerless against that".

"You don't even need to warn me, Tut. I've seen plenty. I mean, being a Post-Mortal was never something I wished upon myself, but if I ever have to die for real, I don't want it to be through that guy's mouth. I rather get smitten by a God or something".

"Okay, enough blasphemy for today, deal?", Tut said, annoyed. "We have lost the boat and its owner to the monster, so we will need to find someone else I can use my powers on when we are to return to the other side of the river.

"YOU CRAZY? I AIN'T CROSSING THAT BLOODY RIVER EVER AGAIN!", Kurou shouted, disturbed.

"I know, it scared you more than I expected, but we will need to cross the river again sometime. Maybe when we are better equipped, you will feel less...cowardly", Tut said, with a smirk.

"Make fun of me all you want, kid. Next time I meet that big ball of meat, I'm gonna blast it with a cannon, you understand?", Kurou said.

"What's a cannon?", Tut asked, puzzled.

"It's something that goes BOOM! and suddenly all your problems go away", Kurou replied.

"Feels like something the Gods can do. Not something YOU can do, though", Tut said.

"Just take me where we need to go, will ya? Talking is a drag", Kurou said, looking tired.

Riddle growled at Kurou, but Tut patted the jackal on the head and the animal calmed down.

"Let's get moving, then, old man", Tut said, looking up. "Our destination is Karnak!".