Latest chapter of One-Punch Man left... a bitter-sweet taste in my mouth. At least King salvaged things with his engine on maximum output. XD Anyway, here you go!
Within Lilith was a horde of evil dragons burning the land and kidnapping the citizens.
There was a large cage made of Malebolge steel, holding all of the devil captives, surrounded by more Evil Dragons guarding the cage.
Amongst the evil dragons were monstrous familiars, more refined chimeras fighting against the Devil military as they struggled to fight back.
Flying in the sky was one of the ancient evil dragons, the one of Persian Myth, Azi Dahaka.
He was no longer the same evil dragon in the past, enhanced by the very power of the Trihexa as well.
The sky of the Underworld was now the domain of the dark dragons as they preyed upon the weak, as it should be.
The Diabolism Thousand Dragon, Azi Dehaka, watched the progress, trying to find amusement in how they easily overwhelmed the entire Underworld without encountering any meaningful resistance. He expected that the generals and masters of the Rating Games would defy them.
"Suppress the enemy! Drive them back and rescue the civilians!"
Never mind, Azi Dahaka smirked with his three heads when he saw a devil clad in golden armor destroy one of the dragons.Azi Dahaka was a black dragon with three heads and six majestic wings of black, his scales black shaded by purple.
This devil was peculiar.
In his flight, the devil shook the air as if he was quaking the skies with each punch. The scales of the lesser cloned evil dragons fell one by one to his fists. Behind the golden-armored devil was his coterie, most likely his 'Peerage' casting magic and engaging the other Trihexa chimeras and evil dragons.
"Not bad at all."
"The first elite force in a while."
"I wonder how he'll fare against this."
Azi Dahaka snapped his finger. The evil dragons started roaring as they changed.
Azi Dahaka was not the only one that consumed the Trihexa cells.
What was peculiar was how a dragon reacts to the Trihexa cell, they do not bore extra animalistic or chimeric features, they simply transform into a more robust, evolved version of themselves.
And since the evil dragons there were mostly clones of Grendel and Azi Dahaka himself, they sported not too different features, extra muscle mass, a flowing mane, thicker scales, sharper fangs and claws, creatures with little variance to determine which was which.
"They're transforming!" A blonde devil woman shouted.
"Prepare the countermeasures!" The leading devil in golden armor prepared something.
A few of them prepared cursed weapons while others prepared dark magic, cursed energy spells which were rare.
The leading warrior was wearing metal knuckle dusters enchanted with cursed energy.
"What is this…?" The middle head of Dahaka muttered as they engaged the trihexa-empowered Dragons and chimeras.
The human mages that accompanied them transformed as well into their monster forms as they unleashed their magics at the devils.
However, a Bishop of the golden-armored King summoned a giant circle of cursed energy under the mages.
Dahaka squinted at the spell.
The mages… they were starting to convulse and spasm. Their hands held their heads as they fell to their knees.
"The hell…?" The left head of Dehaka asked as the three heads observed.
The monsterized mages suddenly roared as they started attacking each other.
Dahaka widened his six eyes when the chimeras turned against the evil dragons since they were contractually bound to the mages.
"Did they somehow turn them against each other?"
"I never heard of a frenzy spell this potent."
"It's super rad, though."
The heads muttered amongst themselves as they considered the possibility of an inherent weakness to cursed energy.
Azi Dahaka was a master magician, master of a thousand magics. He knew the spell formation if he saw one. The cursed energy spell was extremely draining to any wielder, however, which was ironic.
Azi Dahaka was old enough to know the difference between the Devils and their origin race. He perked when he sensed a powerful aura approaching him.
Dahaka immediately teleported away, his magic casting time significantly shortened to faster than instantaneous.
He appeared above the devil, all three heads seeing a gray-haired devil with tan features, a face worn with grace.
"...Ahhh, I remember! The Emperor of the Rating Games." The middle head recalled.
Diehauser Belial scowled at the dragon, squinting at him.
Diehauser arrived with his peerage to engage the invasion forces. The other Kings and their peerages were doing battle in other territories to hold back the unending tide of evil spirits and monsters.
"Your invasion ends here, evil dragon."
"Diehauser Belial~ Beliaaal. Such a strong name for a dying bloodline. Rolls off the tongue well!" The left head cackled.
"Show me your power, Emperor. Can you stand against this Azi Dehaka, master of more than a thousand magics?!" The right head roared as countless myriads of magic circles appeared over the dragon.
"My power ain't nothing like before! Even Crom Cruach can kiss my scaly ass with this new power of mine! Let us show you!"
Diehauser frowned at the dragon, knowing the name of Azi Dahaka very well - The Forbidden Dragon of Demonic Origin, the legendary evil dragon of Persian Myth.
He did not know the dragon's arsenal, and the dragon's aura was mighty, reflecting his threat level.
Dehaka and Diehauser engaged, hundreds of magic and spell combinations unleashed - fire, water, skulls of lightning, cyclones of cursed energy, and more fired at the lone Emperor.
It was the first time that they flew so high above orbit.
The higher they fly, the colder the air, past the clouds they leave the blue world behind and enter the horizon where cosmic night and earth sky blurred, the stars hovering above their heads.
Vali's team, Lavinia, Tobio, Magnus Rose and Mitsuya rode on Stjarna, the creature flying even in orbit somehow, slithering through the air with his majestic wings beating the air.
Vali and Issei flew with Azazel in his golden dragon armor. They were hidden by magic, courtesy of Lavinia just in case to keep the element of surprise.
Alright, everyone, I am switching through various visions. You can't see the base normally as it's hidden by camouflage, but if you switch to Thermal or X-Ray vision, you can see a giant flying object in the sky.
Kiyome spoke to them via telepathy.
Everyone had to resort to magic to safeguard their bodies in a low-oxygen environment, though Stjarna seemed unaffected by the lack of oxygen, meaning the creature does not need air to function.
There seems to be some magical protection covering the base. I can see it through some kind of vision mode that sees magical signatures and stuff. I don't know what to call it other than Arcane Vision. Still, he's frickin awesome!
"Focus, Kiyome." Issei chuckled.
Alright, alright. Stjarna thinks he can break through whatever defenses they have. We're approaching the base fast. Once he dives in and breaks through, he will chew his way into the chamber where his other half is stored and break him out. After that, we will see if we can get out assuming that they don't have any measures against Stjarna chewing his way out since last time. Any questions before we strike?
"Nothing so far, unless Stjarna can relay us the layout of the base via echolocation or something." Azazel snarked.
Kiyome remained silent.
…One moment.
Stjarna stopped his tracks, hissing while everyone waited for the creature.
…Okay, his other half is now attempting to map out the base via echolocation. He is sprouting feelers to feel the vibrations of the base… oh, wow. I can feel over hundreds of thousands of people there.
Issei and Vali stared at Stjarna.
"...Can… Stjarna gives us a rough layout of the base?" Issei asked.
One moment… oh, he can. He just needs to connect his nerves to your nape and transmit it to you since he can't speak. Actually, this might be better than words or using a built-in map.
"Wow..." Tobio whistled.
"This thing is a creature of many talents. You're lucky as the Devil himself to find him first, girl." Bikou laughed.
Issei, Vali, and Azazel landed on Stjarna as they banished their helmets. They watched as thin tendrils slithered to their necks.
They braced themselves as they held their breaths as the nerve tendrils attached.
They gasped when their minds were suddenly connected to the secrets of the universe that was Stjarna's mind.
It was a world that they could not describe, form without shape, only intent as they shift through the memories of the creature, how the creature was born, seeing only strange two-legged creatures commanding monsters bearing a familiar scent, then how it engaged against a Devil that transformed before it chewed its way out upon sensing the evil intent of the woman with glasses.
They saw the other Stjarna thinking of a way out, hearing the echoes of Rizevim and Psychos.
[The Spawn of Trihexa cells are showing different traits compared to its corpse father.]
[Honestly, we should give the creature a name. Calling the creature Spawn of Trihexa sounds needlessly tiring.]
[Oh, of course. We shall think of a name that befits it later.]
Then they transitioned to the creature in the present pinpointing the location of the two, far away through its perception, echoes marking the contours of the base, its interior, and its inhabitants. There were giant monsters there as well and what looked like dragons roaming what looked like training grounds, sparring against each other.
They returned from the universe of Stjarna's expansive mind, leaving them breathless and gasping for air.
"Holy… oh, wow. That…" Issei had no words to describe the experience. His mind perfectly remembered all of the locations of the base and those living inside.
"...That is definitely not something magic can easily replicate." Vali commented, feeling a bit woozy from the experience.
"It feels more like ESP power than magic..." Platinum commented, unperturbed by the experience.
"Alright, we're ready. Once we barrel through to the other Stjarna, we'll head to the Trihexa corpse and see if we can destroy or abscond with it after freeing the other half. Then we'll see if we can pick off any important enemies and cause as much damage as possible. Finally, we'll escape before we overstay our welcome. The Underworld is still under attack and Earth is in danger, so we can't waste too much time." Azazel added.
"Alright, this should be easy. We got a way to hide Stjarna, though?" Issei asked.
What? No! I refuse to move Stjarna from his home!
Kiyome protested.
"I know, I know you want to be near the most awesome eldritch godslaying beast, but Stjarna needs protection. He's still an infant. Something this young does not deserve to suffer this much pain, no matter what species it is, even if Stjarna has the potential to surpass its corpse parent." Azazel argued.
….We will talk more about this once we rescue Stjarna's other half.
"Good! Lavinia, Morgan, prepare a large scale barrier! Issei, start boosting, then transfer the power into the barrier when we crash into Stjarna's prison to buy us some time to rescue him! Lavinia, use your sacred gear to freeze the way behind so that no one will get to us! Le Fay, go with Lavinia! Vali, Tobio, Platinum, Arthur, Bikou, Kuroka, Magnus, Mitsuya, defend the position! Once we free the other Stjarna, have the two halves chew their way to the meatball farm! Then we'll set up a checkpoint to see if we can destroy it while I get a sample at least! Are we clear?!" Azazel shouted.
[YEAH!]
Everyone nearly forgot that Azazel was made a leader of all fallen angels for a reason.
"LET'S GO!"
Stjarna! Chaaarge!
Stjarna screeched as Issei started Boosting, a strong golden barrier covering the passengers as they crashed into something hard.
Stjarna started chewing through the metal, the passengers watching as they dug past the open space, briefly seeing the surprised faces of the enemies within the base while hearing shouts and screams.
Lavinia immediately summoned her Absolute Demise and started freezing the path behind in thick, enchanted ice, a trail of crystal and frost covering their tracks.
Eventually, they entered the location familiar to them, through Stjarna's visions.
"Widen the barrier to cover us! Wall off the direction of the ice and the glass windows above!" Azazel shouted.
Le Fay and Lavinia exerted their magic power and widened it to cover them and the other Stjarna behind them. Issei immediately transferred the power he accumulated into the barrier, reinforcing it manyfold.
Once they were done, everyone looked at the other Stjarna… They gasped when they saw the creature.
The drawings were not graphic enough to depict what was happening to the other Stjarna.
Giant stakes of eldritch origin, organic in nature, stabbed the other Stjarna from all over, sending arcane jolts into the creature from time to time.
The other half was much bigger than the one Kiyome was riding in, the rhinoceros horn of black keratin larger and tipped with a crimson luster, glowing with power.
The scales were thicker, Stjarna's eighteen eyes, six on the sides and six on the front were lined in a hexagram now. Each of the hexagram showed another giant eye in the center, the front eyes staring at them as Stjarna groaned from pain.
Stjarna!
Kiyome called out from within the eldritch suit
"Whoa… What are they doing to him?" Issei asked, perturbed by the inhumane scenario.
Stjarna might not look human, but everyone present - they could feel Stjarna's agony on an empathetic level, much higher than what they were used to.
Kiyome blinked as her visions switched to another memory.
[The Forced Evolution Process seems to be working.] Rizevim commented.
[It is a strong creature for an infant. Even at death's door, it struggles to drag itself back to life every time.] Psykos grinned.
Kiyome then felt the other Stjarna showing her the intent of its captors.
Greed, desire for strength, the desire to take from it, the desire to use it for…
…They are using Stjarna as a guinea pig… to find a safe method for the bastards to evolve themselves.
Everyone turned to Kiyome in the smaller Stjarna.
"What do you mean 'evolve themselves'?" Vali asked.
I am translating Stjarna's intent. They have an… experiment called the Forced Evolution Process. It is a way to strengthen an individual by putting the subject to the point of… absolute near-death. Then they wait for the victim to drag themselves back to life. Anyone that endures this will become much stronger than before.
"And…?" Lavinia cupped her mouth as the creature wailed when another jolt of energy was injected into it.
…Stjarna here is forced to survive mind-breaking levels of murderous torture every day. It's… it's a wonder that he can maintain his sanity for so long. He has grown, but he did not want this. Yet he endures…
Issei clenched his fist.
"Azazel. Can we safely remove the spikes?" Issei asked.
Azazel observed the eldritch stakes made of unknown organic material.
"Well, we can rip them off, but I am sensing extremely powerful magic binding this Stjarna in place. They are using Stjarna's own power to restrict it so it wouldn't escape like last time."
Azazel muttered aloud.
"Can you and Lavinia disable it?" Issei asked.
"It's too strong. I sense divine magic from… Egyptian? Irish, Persian, and… Senjutsu. Along with Demonic magic… It is a solid collaboration of foreign magics and eastern techniques. There's also something else but I don't know what…"
"...Vali." Issei turned to Vali. "Think your Divide can weaken the seal?"
Vali turned to Issei, the white dragon knight humming.
"I need to know where to target first, though. If I hit Stjarna's power, I would drain him instead."
"I can help with that." Lavinia smiled.
Vali blushed a little behind the helmet.
[Well, well, well…]
Everyone blinked as they turned to the glass windows leading to the observatory, to the voice speaking through the speakers.
One of the two, Rizevim, was standing there, looking down on them from the glass window leading to the observatory above.
[...I am surprised. Genuinely, you continue to surpass all expectations, Spawn of Trihexa and Jesus. Because of that… I've decided to give you a name. You deserve it, you deserve that and much more, especially from someone like me, who now desires to achieve true perfection and limitless evolution! From now on, your name shall be… Djall. It is another name for an antichrist from another culture heavily touched by Chirstianity, a fitting name for something, no, someone such as you!]
Kiyome grit her teeth as she glared at Rizevim through the windows.
His name is Stjarna, you asshole!
Kiyome shouted at Rizevim.
Rizevim stared at the other Stjarna.
[...I am hearing a girl's voice in my head. Wait…] Rizevim leered at the other Stjarna. [Is there a passenger in your clone? Wait… you can let others ride you? No, she's more like piloting you! Oh my dead father, you really are a refreshing miracle! Ahahahaha, revolutionary!]
Rizevim clapped his hands as Issei started boosting, glaring at Rizevim.
[Oh, if I had known, I would've raised you as my own son! A real son!]
"And what? Turn him into a good-for-nothing loser like you?!" Vali roared at Rizevim.
Rizevim turned to Vali standing behind Azazel's and Lavinia's barrier.
[...Do I know you? I can sense your bottomless hate.]
"I am Vali Lucifer, of the Lucifer Bloodline. The son of the worthless waste of life YOU raised." Vali spat through the dragon knight helmet.
[Oh… yes, I remember him. Sorry about that.]
Rizevim nodded.
[He was a pathetic loser. So much so I decided to kill him myself. Honestly, I was so bored out of my wits at the time. Until one day, a faceless outer god came to me in my dreams… and showed me a glimpse of the infinite secrets it holds. It did try to turn me into its puppet when I took its hand, but alas… I managed to break free from its hold. My mind is now expanded to newer possibilities, something that my father's creations can never hope to achieve. So yes, I will formally apologize to you for that. Do not worry, though, I will raise Djall like a true son. After all, Psykos and I did create him, even if it's by accident.]
And what kind of father tortures his own son like this?! You're constantly bringing Stjarna to the point of death every minute, and for what?! Your desire for power!? A parent that can't care for their child is no parent!
Kiyome shouted at Rizevim.
[Ah, well… true.]
Rizevim nodded.
[As someone who was raised without abuse, I suppose it is hypocritical. Very well. I have decided. I shall wipe Djall's memories and start over from scratch. I will need him to help me achieve true godhood once I've perfected the Forced Evolution Process. I need a better name than that though… Anyways. Euclid. Grendel. Nidhogg. Ladon.] Rizevim snapped his finger.
The room then was engulfed in a bright light, which came from four different positions. The first who came into view were several dragons of varying sizes.
A dragon who stood on a pair of legs not unlike a human or giant, possessed bright silver eyes, horns on its head, and its fifteen meter-tall body was thick with muscles and covered in black scales.
Another large dragon which appeared as if it had been fused with a tree.
And yet another dragon, this one appeared to be the largest out of the three - possessing a serpentine body which reached around 20 meters in length with ochre belly, a pair of limbs on its upper and lower body.
Last but not least - a noble-looking gentleman with long silver hair tied in a braided hairstyle.
Even with their advantage in numbers, Issei could immediately tell that the four new arrivals spelled 'trouble', particularly the eastern dragon and the sole man in the party.
[As much as I respect your diligence in taking my son away from here, I'm afraid that I cannot lose him as he's a piece in a grander game. Everyone, please show them the door… And earth's orbit.]
"Ahahahahahaha!" The dragon standing on two feet laughed. "I finally get to face the infamous Son of the Strongest Man!"
The dragon that looked like Tannin in shape sprang forth.
[Transfer!]
Issei instantly transferred the energy to the barrier as Grendel crashed into it.
Rizevim was impressed that the barrier bounced Grendel off as he crashed into the wall.
"Ow!" Grendel rubbed his head. He rose to his feet and charged again, Lavinia and Azazel standing before the barrier as Grendel started hammering into the force field with thrashing fury.
"Come out from that barrier and face me!" The dragon roared.
"Vali! Start dividing the seals until Le Fay can undo them!" Azazel shouted as he struggled to maintain the barrier. The Transfer could only reinforce the barrier for so long.
The eastern dragon yawned.
"Hmmm… the barrier is strong. Allow me." Ladon, the insomnia dragon, moved towards the barrier.
"Everyone! Brace for combat!" Azazel shouted when he could feel the dragon's magic wresting control from Azazel and Lavinia.
Everyone prepared for the barrier dropped. Vali immediately turned to the imprisoned Stjarna.
[Divide!]
Vali needed to pinpoint the seals. The default function of Divide was to steal the power of any living thing. He needed focus and an idea where to hit for his Divide to strike and absorb. There was one previous wielder that could Divide the negative emotions of others, but that was beyond Vali's ken since he could not find a way to target negative emotions.
A wave of dividing energy resonated from his wings towards the original Stjarna. Stjarna wailed when the energy washed over the tortured creature. Right now, Vali was in trial and error mode, to see if he could divide the seals in time.
Le Fay immediately aimed her wand at Stjarna and started summoning the magic circles, proceeding to analyze and deconstruct the seals.
The barrier came apart as the dragons and the sole man readied their dragon breath and magic.
"...Let me pass through for a second."
However, they all failed to take one thing in mind.
Platinum Sperm was here, better than ever.
Rizevim blinked as the creature blitzed through the dragons… and instantly turned them into platinum statues. Even Euclid was a metal statue before he could do anything.
Everyone blinked at the statued foes, seeing that the threat was immediately dispatched.
[...Well… this is embarrassing.] Rizevim scratched his head. [I didn't think you could break through their anti-transmutation barriers that easily. We specifically prepared them just in case we encountered you. Huh…]
A blur came from Platinum's tentacle as the glass window of the observatory broke.
With absurd speed, Platinum jumped and landed before Rizevim, appearing before the smaller super devil as he looked down on him.
"Any last words before you become a statue?" Platinum asked, arm crossed with a menacing aura.
"Why, yes I do. Lady Izanami, if you would?"
Sensing murderous intent, Platinum caught a jade spear with his tentacle head, held by the woman with pitch black eyes as they immediately disappeared.
"...Oh, shit." Issei cussed when Izanami absconded with their main trump card.
It grew worse when the statues started to crack.
"Nnngh!" Ladon was the first to break free from the platinum state.
Everyone was surprised to see someone breaking out from the Big Bads' OP transmutation technique. As far as they knew, once they transmogrify into metal, there was no way to free themselves other than the Big Bads' whims.
Although, it was not without cost. The dragon's scales were gone, leaving it quite… naked as they could see the glistening, oily skin underneath.
"Agggh, I've never been turned into a statue before. Good thing I layered a second barrier under my scales." The dragon turned to his compatriots and aimed a palm at them.
Magic circles surrounded the other statues as they slowly broke free from their platinum state, the dragons shedding their scales in the process.
As for the man, however, his skin was another story.
"AAAAAGGGGH!"
Everyone winced at the sight of the skinless man bleeding on the floor, their first time seeing a man of pure muscle on the floor, writhing in agony. It was more disturbing to see a fresh layer of skin visibly growing over the muscle.
"That… was not how I wished to be freed!" Euclid glared at Ladon as skin regrow over his face.
"Grow some scales over your skin next time." Ladon yawned as Grendel growled at the group.
"Be glad you have regeneration!" Nidhogg, the eastern serpent dragon, sneered at the devil.
"Grrhh….. I admit that was a good one. But thanks to that, now I'm pumped up!" Grendel growled with a blood-thirsty grin.
"Tobio!" Azazel shouted as Tobio nodded.
"Jin!"
As soon as Tobio called out that name, a large black dog with a black sword on its head, jumped out from his shadow.
Canis Lykaon - The Dog God of Black Blade.
The dog barked, as if relaying intentions to fight along his master. Tobio took a quick inhale before beginning to mutter.
[Behowlest the slaying of one thousand mortals]
As Tobio spoke that first line, his aura began to synchronize with the black dog by his side, as he kept chanting.
[Besingest the slaying of ten thousand goblins.]
[Mine name, which 'tis immersed in deepest darkness, 'tis the Imitation God traversing the polar night.]
[O' ye, perishest by mine own black blade…]
Dark shadow rose from beneath Tobio and the dog's legs, enveloping both of them in a small dome as his voice echoed the final line.
[…Fools ye art, deformed Creator Gods!]
When the dark dome collapsed, another creature had replaced Tobio Ikuse next to the black dog - a humanoid black hound, not unlike a werewolf, with six tails covered in raven black fur.
Night Celestial Slash Dogs - Mad Black Dog of The Glowing Night Sky.
As Tobio unleashed his Balance Breaker, Vali turned to Arthur.
"Arthur! Can your sword do something about the seals?!" Vali asked as he continued firing [Divide] at Stjarna.
"I don't know if Caliburn is strong enough for that." Arthur shook his head.
"Rival!" Vali shouted.
"Alright!" Issei started boosting as Vali continued dividing the power of the seals. He could hit the seals, but they were even resistant to the power of Divide somehow.
"What should we do?" Magnus asked as Tobio and Bikou clashed against the dragons.
Stjarna started spraying acid at Nidhogg, the dragon crying out in sudden pain when his skin and scales started to melt.
"Support them if you can and be ready for anything. I don't know how much longer we can hold out here before-"
The ice sealing their sudden entrance into the room also shattered.
What came in was something a bit bizarre.
What came in was a cabal of Trihexa chimeras and… Kyonshis, undead monks with a talisman on their faces.
Leading the vanguard was a strange creature. It was as tall as a giant, yet it had no head.
Its eyes replaced his nipples and a mouth was where the belly button would be. It was wielding a divine shield and ax. Only his arms and legs were covered in armor, cursed armor made from the metals of Malebolge.
The creature glared at the group, Mitsuya, Kuroka, Magnus, and Azazel staring at him in return while the others were occupied.
"...What the hell are you supposed to be?" Magnus asked, staring at the unusual creature.
They do not remember anything unusual like this before in the supernatural world. Maybe.
"You are looking at an almighty god that escaped from Naraka." The face-stomach giant sneered.
"...Who are you, exactly?" Azazel asked.
"You…! I am Xingtian! I once waged war against the Jade Emperor and his court during my time! I am the immortal warrior that can never die!"
"...Nyaaa? Then why were you in Naraka?" Kuroka asked while tapping her finger on her chin.
Behind them, Lavinia joined them as support while the others were occupied in their unsealing of Stjarna and battling the Evil Dragons and the Devil.
"I was personally imprisoned there by the emperor. Alive, since they couldn't kill me, and it seems that I am forgotten. Tsk, no matter. I am not here to validate my title to you. Defeat them all!"
Xingtian roared as he charged with his chimera and undead horde.
"Downfall Dragon Spear!" Azazel charged as he summoned his spear.
"Transcendental arrival!" Mitsuya activated his sacred gear as his exoskeleton covered his form.
Magnus sighed as he took out a briefcase.
A horde of undead kyonshees were facing him. He dropped the suitcase as it opened.
The Chinese zombies tilted their heads as a swarm of glimmering powder swirled from the case and covered the former CIA agent, coalescing into high-tech armor complete with circuit lines running webways across the surface..
"Confused? I suggest you read the Iron Man comics. Trust me, you'll like it." Magnus smirked as he aimed a palm at one of them and fired a high-temperature laser, blasting one of the Kyonshee's heads off.
Artificial Sacred Gear - Cyber Deity's Nano Armor.
It was originally something made for Genos but due to complications, like fine-tuned control, Genos donated it to Magnus as incentive for his cooperation.
The headless corpse collapsed as the other kyonshees looked at it. They wordlessly turned to Magnus as they all started using Senjutsu, ki of various elements, all running towards Magnus with the speed and grace of high-speed ninjas.
Grendel was fighting for his life when Stjarna ate him. It was a bit hilarious in Rizevim's eyes, watching Grendel flail for his life, trying not to enter Stjarna's gullet. The lower body of the evil dragon was the only thing sticking out of the creature's mouth while the upper half was screaming for help.
Ladon, hiding behind a barrier as Tobio stopped hammering his defenses with his scythe, chuckled at the sight while Grendel struggled for his life
There was a massive crunch, catching everyone's attention as Stjarna's jaws broke through the scales.
Rizevim was not surprised since Stjarna could chew through the flesh of the Trihexa, something much stronger than even the heavenly class dragon.
Ahahahaha! Behold, Stjarna's true power!
Kiyome laughed maniacally as Stjarna's jaws broke Grendel's skeleton.
Grendel's voice muffled through the creature as Stjarna swallowed Grendel whole, the most durable traveling down Stjarna's gullet.
Nidhogg stared at the creature as Stjarna glared at him while the dying screams of Grendel faded within it.
Rizevim wondered if he could revive Grendel… he should be able to, especially with his newfound knowledge from GOD.
"...I'm not safe for consumption?" Nidhogg, the Abyss Rage Dragon, stared up at the larger creature.
He was leaking corrosive miasma, Nidhogg was a creature that constantly hungers, though seeing a non-dragon creature eating a fellow evil dragon like he was nothing did inspire fear in the predator.
Then Stjarna chomped Nidhogg as he shared Grendel's fate, being chewed on as Euclid and Ladon started to worry when Stjarna swallowed the other Evil Dragon without much difficulty. They do not want to be eaten.
Nidhogg's poison did not seem to affect the eldritch spawn of Trihexa as it stared at them.
Meanwhile, the stomach-faced God was overwhelming Azazel, even if Azazel was in his Balance Breaker.
Xingtian proved far more acrobatic than his size suggested as he jumped to and fro the imprisoned Stjarna's jaw and slammed his Divine Axe into the other Stjarna.
Stjarna cried out as Xingtian forced Stjarna's head to the floor before he jumped again, acrobatically spinning before he fell above Azazel. Azazel summoned his spear, but the God was too agile as he knocked his spear aside with his ax and smashed him into the ground with his shield, breaking Azazel's armor like fragile glass.
"Azazel!" Lavinia shouted as she was about to activate her Balance Breaker, but Xingtian slammed his ax into the metal floor, firing a room-quaking shockwave of divine Ki into Lavinia's direction.
Lavinia immediately teleported away as Magnus fired high-powered arcane lasers at the stomach-faced god while Mitsuya engaged the deformed god.
"Isn't he a bit too agile for his size?!" Magnus shouted as the god skipped left and right, slamming his ax into Mitsuya's high-energy blade projected from his dorsal hand.
The force of the attack was enough to crush Mistuya under the weight and force of the chinese god, his arms now broken as he coughed blood as Xingtian turned towards Issei's group - Vali, Arthur, Le Fay.
"Not on our watch!" Kuroka and Bikou interfered.
Bikou was at the vanguard while Kuroka was a support, Bikou's bo staff engaging with the chinese god's ax while his shield defended against Kuroka's sage spells.
"Weak!" Xingtian threw his ax at Kuroka. Not the illusions she conjured, but at the actual Kuroka sneaking around Xingtian via invisibility.
Kuroka yelped as the ax blade nearly skinned her ears as Xingtian caught Bikou and crushed him in his grip with one squeeze, the monkey coughing blood as the bones inside collapsed before he threw him at Azazel.
"Bikou!" Azazel shouted before he turned to the hordes of Chimeras and Kyonshees, eradicating most of them with his light spears.
Bikou was a jumbled mess. His arms and legs were mangled, Bikou coughing blood.
"Owwwwww..." Bikou grumbled, surprisingly alive.
The son of the monkey king should be able to recover from this level of injuries due to how the Monkey King could survive even decapitation with no ill-effects.
Bikou inhaled as he forcefully reconnected his joints, restoring them in proper condition as his arms and legs straightened.
"Owowowowow!" Bikou did not like doing this since it was painful as hell. He held his staff as he propped himself up, rolling his neck.
Lavinia teleported beside Bikou, holding Mitsuya in her arms as Magnus flew with Tobio as they engaged the rampant warrior god.
"Alright, how do we deal with this guy?" Bikou asked. "He's kicking all of our asses. He's even kicking the giant wyrm's ass!"
"Don't know, he is living up to his reputation as a warrior though." Azazel grimaced as Lavinia gave Mitsuya a Phoenix Tear. Mitsuya grumbled as he got back up, restored. "I think he is getting stronger the more he fights. I really should pay more attention to the other vague myths."
Euclid and Ladon immediately turned their attention to Issei's group since the wyrm was disoriented. They would let Xingtian deal with the clone of the spawn.
[Transfer!]
However, Issei finished boosting and transferred the power to Arthur's Caliburn.
"Alright!" Arthur jumped to the imprisoned Stjarna.
However, a barrier blocked Arthur's path. Ladon could sense the boosted holy aura of Caliburn.
However, Arthur cut down the barrier like it was nothing before he stabbed Caliburn right into Stjarna's center.
The main Stjarna cried out in slight pain as Arthur attempted to undo the seal. However, there was a rift in the air. He looked to his right, seeing a round portal.
Rizevim was staring back at him through the portal with a large sphere of nuclear energy.
"...Boom."
Arthur widened his eyes when Le Fay interposed herself and conjured a magical shield when Rizevim fired it.
The explosion was strong, knocking both siblings of the Pendragon lineage away, a white mushroom cloud exploding in the siblings' direction, leaving Caliburn still stuck in Stjarna's hide. Arthur and Le Fay tumbled away, both burned and bleeding, their clothes in ruined tatters.
Flames jet behind the vents of Issei's personal armor as Issei jumped at Caliburn, holding the sword as he struggled to finish what Arthur started.
Rizevim curled a brow as he fired another nuclear sphere at higher output, but Vali knocked it away, his armor propelling him into the portal and engaging Rizevim.
Issei knew of Caliburn's power, and, betting on his extremely strong affinity with holy weapons, channeled his will into cutting apart Stjarna's seal. Stjarna wailed a little as the larger of the two watched Xingtian flying towards Issei.
Stjarna lashed out his tongue and caught Xingtian, but the immortal god, to the larger Stjarna's surprise, escaped from lamprey-tongue's grasp as he fell.
The larger Stjarna hissed as he started shooting a stream of acid at the enemies, helping everyone through the pain of the eldritch stakes stabbing into his hide. He helped protect the Pendragon siblings from the other Trihexa chimeras and Chinese zombies, enough for them to apply their Phoenix Tears..
Issei was struggling to cut through the seal despite the amount of power he channeled into the sword.
What kind of seal was this? It was like trying to cut through a rock, or a tank, with a blunt kitchen knife made of wood.
He started boosting as he channeled every muster of strength into it, trying his best to free Stjarna from the torture.
Vali stood before Rizevim in the observatory, the white dragon knight clenching his fists with anticipation.
"Hmph. Are we really going to do this?" Rizevim asked his grandson.
"You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment." Vali glared hatefully, "...When I can crush that ugly mug of yours."
"Oh, please. Don't be such a boor. Forget the past, it's obsolete. Just like my own father who I now see as a failure of man." Rizevim shook his head with palpable disappointment. "But if you insist…. Well, show me what you earned with that petulant ire. I'll give you this one chance before I show you how above you I am."
Vali said no more - charging up as much power as he could, the wings of light of Divine Dividing shone brightly as the White Dragon Emperor charged at the descendant of the Morning Star.
However, during the short period of Vali closing the distance between him and his grandfather, something was terribly amiss.
For one, Rizevim did not even shift from his spot, as he simply smiled at the incoming full power of the Vanishing Dragon.
Secondly, to make matters worse - years of abuse and resentment had blinded Vali from the obvious first factor, as he roared and ready to smash his grandfather's face in.
Rizevim simply raised his palm to block Vali's incoming fist. Under normal circumstances, Vali's punch was more than powerful enough to break through such a simple defense. However, as soon as Vali's gauntleted fist made contact with Rizevim's palm, Vali's Scale Mail suddenly disappeared in a flash of light - even his Divine Dividing was not visible on his back anymore.
"...Eh?"
Vali could only blink at the unexpected outcome, as well as Rizevim's shit-eating grin.
"Surprise~"
The Super Devil then rammed his other fist into Vali's completely exposed abdomen, forcing the latter's body to bend over as the younger man coughed out a mouthful mix of blood and bile.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Once upon a time, I worked on a secret project to undo God's legacy, basically, the Sacred Gears." Rizevim chuckled as he grabbed Vali's hair and lifted him, admiring his pained scowl.
"I wanted to show the world that anyone who relies on trinkets is nothing, remove them from their shell to show how inferior they really are behind all of that glamor, that armor, playing hero and all that."
Rizevim smashed his fist into Vali's ribs, breaking all the bones in his body as Vali coughed more blood, fractured bone piercing his lungs.
"This is the difference between us. You had your chance to walk away. I could simply kill you, turn you into a wet stain with a swat of my hand, even with that shell on you, for my pets to clean up with their tongues as you turn into excrement, but this is more suitable."
Rizevim then let go of Vali, letting gravity do the rest.
"...Even if you were to survive, live on with the fact that you will always be below me." Rizevim sneered as he kicked Vali out of the broken window Platinum left, sending him back into the chaos.
Vali's eyes were locked onto Rizevim as he fell, cursing his grandfather and the weakness within himself.
"Vali-chin!" Kuroka caught Vali in her arms as she immediately transported him to Azazel's group.
"Vali!" Azazel shouted while firing more light spears at the horde of chimeras, the deformed monsters screaming as they disintegrated into specks of light.
Vali coughed blood as Kuroka gave Vali a vial of Phoenix Tear. They were more stacked on Phoenix Tears for this mission to compensate as Vali felt his wounds heal from the contents of the vial.
"Ugh… That bastard…" Vali groaned as he got back up, rubbing his ribs.
"I warned you about the level difference, Vali." Azazel reminded as he engaged more kyonshees with jian swords.
What was annoying was how adept they were in close combat, competing even against him, using even advanced Ki attacks.
"I get it. Worse, he has a way to undo Sacred Gears." Vali hissed.
Azazel blinked as he bisected the torsos of his opponents before he looked up at the observatory, seeing the silver-haired Lucifer grinning at him.
"Oh, no..."
The fallen angel governor muttered in dread as Rizevim snapped his fingers.
Every sacred gear in the vicinity was now undone.
Absolute Demise, Boosted Gear, Downfall Dragon Spear, Cyber Deity's Nano Armor, Transcendental Arrival, Mad Black Dog of The Glowing Night Sky, everything was undone, the shell on Azazel, Magnus, Mitsuya, Issei, and Tobio leaving them.
"I believe playtime is over. Let's see how you survive this." Rizevim chuckled as he looked at Issei, seeing him panicking without his armor.
His smile fell when the larger Stjarna spat something at him.
Rizevim summoned a magical shield, blocking the glob of fluids as it splattered. He watched as the fluids melted the area around him, the acid melting deep crevices around him.
"Defiant. I like it." Rizevim chuckled as Stjarna screeched at him. "There's still not much you can do. Your power is sealed, after all."
Issei grunted as he struggled to cut through the abnormally powerful seal.
Ddraig, status report!
[My power is literally being sealed! Well, mostly sealed! Whatever ability Rizevim has is targeting mostly Sacred Gears through our divine make! I think I can manage to eke out the Penetrate ability to imbue into the sword, but it might not be strong enough to bust through that seal!]
"Good enough!"
Issei continued applying Penetrate into his borrowed Caliburn, almost managing to cut a quarter of the way.
However, Issei flinched and jumped off Stjarna, ripping Caliburn out as a sphere of destructive energy flew from his left. Issei saw another portal with Rizevim smugly smiling from the other side.
"I can't have you free him. It'll be even more difficult to bring him back like this."
Rizevim chuckled as Stjarna screamed at Rizevim. Issei grunted as he ran towards the observatory.
Kiyome and Stjarna caught Xingtian in Stjarna's jaw before the god could intervene.
Issei jumped on the vertical body of Kiyome's Stjarna and jumped off him, launching himself towards the broken window as he somersaulted into the observatory.
"The red dragon comes after the white. How amusing." Rizevim chuckled. "And you… you are the son of the one man GOD fears above all. How much of your father's power do you have?"
Issei summoned Chrysaor on the other hand, taking in a deep breath.
"Oh, looking to define yourself away from your father's path? Respectable." Rizevim remarked Caliburn in one hand and another holy sword in the other. "But what can you do where my grandson couldn't?"
"Let's find out!"
Issei then charged at Rizevim, empowering himself with Ki. In response, Rizevim enchanted his own limbs to receive Chrysaor with his bare hands.
However, Rizevim could feel the blade cutting his forearm, feeling a new sense of searing agony, much more than from the standard holy damage he would receive as Rizevim pulled back his arm.
"Yeow!" Rizevim managed to retain his arm attached as he stumbled back. He looked at his arm, seeing the scorching white flame igniting his aura.
"What was that?!" Rizevim demanded, now scrunching his features at Issei.
"Chrysaor. The Evil Slaying Sword. Its power is to slay evil people and stuff. And since it's a holy sword, well…" Issei impishly smirked as Rizevim's frown reached its nadir.
"So that's how you want to play it... Very well, let this be a match of handicaps. You have my full undivided attention."
His words made Issei smirk as Rizevim spread all twelve of his bat wings.
Issei prepared a makeshift dual wielding stance, Caliburn outstretched as his shield while Chrysaor was his 'spear'.
Rizevim blinked.
Issei paused when he saw literal cosmic night replacing Rizevim's eyes as the super devil was surrounded by what looked like crackling black spheres of energy.
"Uhhhh…"
"You should know the stories from your father. I have gained a piece of GOD's power. And I freed myself from his influence. Even weakened, GOD is powerful enough to contend with even the Great Red himself."
Issei was starting to feel like he bit more than he could chew.
His instincts started screaming at him as he jumped back when a black hole suddenly appeared in his previous position, disintegrating the space and floor he was on.
"Hoh, you dodged it. That is just a taste."
Issei immediately summoned the Urn of Wei Chenge, the wooden prism protruding from Boosted Gear's emerald stone as it opened.. Boosted Gear's main functions were disabled, but at least he could still call upon the items as he turned on the wooden prism.
Rizevim blinked when a blue cone shot out of the prism as the black energy spheres immediately sucked into the wooden prism. Issei ran towards Rizevim while he was confused and immediately swung both swords at the super devil.
When the cone of blue no longer shone on him in Issei's attack, the super devil blocked Chrysaor and Caliburn, enduring Issei's chaotic assault, the boy swinging the swords left and right at wild random intervals.
Rizevim could block even Chrysaor now in his semi-cosmic state with his arms.
"...Oh, well."
Grabbing Chrysaor and pulling Issei in, Rizevim opened his palm at Issei's chest at point blank.
However, with the Water Stream, Issei diverted the palm upwards with the hilt of Caliburn as it fired a powerful blast of cosmic energy to the ceiling, burning a clean, perfectly circular hole, and stabbed Rizevim's other wrist with Penetrate
Clicking his tongue, Rizevim gritted his teeth as he slammed his knee on Issei's ribs, knocking his air and blood out as Issei collapsed on his knees.
Caliburn did not even scratch Rizevim despite his strength and Penetrate applied to the blade, Issei's ribs now shattered.
"Alright, I'll admit your sense of combat is better than mine." Rizevim commented with the smallest hint of respect in his tone.
Issei aimed the Urn of Wei Cheng at Rizevim and fired all of the stored energy into his face at point blank.
This time, Rizevim staggered, grunting with irritation, releasing Chrysaor as Issei rose to his feet and rammed the sword into Rizevim's jugular.
However, just before the tip of the blade could have completely pierced through the flesh of Rizevim's jugular, the latter clapped his hand to stop the sword's advance.
Refusing to lose his momentum, Issei reinforced the steadiness of his arm with the hilt of Caliburn and roared as he powered through with every fiber of his being.
"RRAAAAAAAARGGH!"
Rizevim grimaced when Issei lifted him off his feet and dragged him towards the door leaving the observatory and crashed through the metal door, continuing to carry Rizevim in his charge until he delivered that one fatal blow.
"Grrh…..! Don't…. Get carried away, you shitty brat!"
Rizevim threw the sword to the side when Issei crashed him into the wall of the hallway intersection, the blade stuck in the arcane-constructed metal.
Then Rizevim placed both palms at Issei's chest as a dangerous amount of energy gathered at once.
Issei immediately bent back in a ninety-degree limbo.
"Morningstar Quake!"
Issei could not cover his eyes from the blinding attack.
A burst of primordial plasma exploded from Rizevim's palm, a literal solar flare phenomenon, plasmic matter fired at relativistic light speeds.
The magnitude of the plasmic flare was so strong that it burned a hole through the observatory, melting the windows and walls, traveling through all forms of materials as it flew out of Qlippoth's exterior as an unending string of light entering the infinite cosmos.
Issei was blinked out of the blinding white in his vision as he straightened himself and thrusted Chrysaor again into Rizevim.
However, the super devil had predicted the attack and had already ducked down to avoid the incoming blade. And pierced through Issei's right abdomen with his hand all the way.
"Hahahahahahaha-Ack?!"
Issei severed Rizevim's moment of glory when he stabbed Rizevim through the back, right into his heart with Chrysaor, the holy and evil slaying element began to burn Rizevim inside out through his wound.
"You…!" Rizevim launched Issei to the ceiling with an uppercut, the boy slamming into the ceiling and falling face-down, bleeding a pool under him.
Rizevim stumbled back, holding his heart in great pain as blood leaked out of his lips.
"Hahaha… What… you think a flesh wound can stop me?" Issei wheezed as he coughed more blood, slowly standing back up while holding the stomach wound in his chest.
Rizevim's anger boiled the air as the cosmic-touched devil fell to his knees, struggling as his heart caught holy fire.
"How dare… you!"
Rizevim was baffled that the boy was still somehow alive. The boy did not look like he took a phoenix tear.
Rizevim took out something, a red vial of phoenix tears.
Issei also took out a vial as they both opened the contents.
Their wounds instantly healed as they glared at each other, but Rizevim collapsed onto his knees as his heart ached.
It felt like he was suffering a heart attack for every pulse, his heart threatening to fail him each second.
"Your sword is something else. Very good against evil beings. Very unfair." Rizevim praised as he slowly got to his feet.
"And your anti-sacred gear gimmick isn't?" Issei shot back as he readied his swords.
"And Sacred Gears are fair? Please, my tool just levels the playing field. It's not my fault that God made the humans the way they are. You hold the power of a mighty dragon without his initial consent. The same goes for my pathetic grandson."
Rizevim took out something else. It was a syringe. Issei blinked when Rizevim stabbed it into his neck and injected it into his bloodstream before he could react.
"This syringe contains six hundred and sixty six doses of the perfected Trihexa cell, all hyper condensed into one dose. I wanted to test Djall's cell and see if I can take his power for myself, or at least his limitless evolutionary potential. But now… This will have to do for you."
Issei could feel Rizevim's aura changing erratically.
Rizevim's entire body was contorting, bloating, each of his twelve bat wings growing and shrinking at a chaotic rhythm as the devil started to mutate himself.
Rizevim's voice grew distorted, deep, warped, as he cried out an unholy scream that reached throughout the entire base in chaotic echoes.
His voice transitioned into an eldritch roar as the Devil's form returned to normal, as if nothing had happened to him.
The devil sighed with relief, no longer plagued by Chrysaor's power.
"...Shit." Issei cussed as the Trihexa-buffed super devil calmly stared at him.
Two dragon heads sprouted from behind Rizevim, each serpentine and menacing, their teeth perpetually glistening, no lips to hide them.
"Start running." Rizevim grinned as the dragon heads opened their mouths.
Issei immediately turned tail when the dragon heads fired twin streams of plasma at his back, engulfing Issei as it traveled through the base, flying out after the Rizevim's first Morningstarquake attack.
The power behind it was equal to the Morningstarquake as it caught Issei even as the boy ran at superfast speed. Rizevim was not even trying, showcasing the difference in power between before and now.
Issei did not have the chance to take four steps before he fell, roasted into a fine crisp, his hair burned off, his eyes melted, clothes burned off, and more.
"Interesting. You should've been vaporized." Rizevim commented as he walked towards Issei, his shoes squishing into the molten metal he left as he grabbed Issei's charred head.
"I should applaud your body. It is stronger than I believe. I am curious to see what you might become, but I prefer to reach the realm your father and GOD stood first before that happens."
Rizevim dragged Issei's body with him until he stood at the ruins of the observatory, everything melted as he looked down at the chaos from the same position.
"But first, to let your friends despair. Then I'll kill you before their eyes." He said as he tossed Issei into the chaos.
As Issei's body was heading towards the unforgiving ground, it was as if everything had gone silent, despite the still ensuing chaos; when everyone began to see what happened.
One by one, they noticed what happened and their eyes widened in horror at the state of the Red Dragon Emperor.
"ISE!"
Vali was the first to react as soon as he registered his oldest friend's condition. Everyone else wanted nothing more than to rush in to help him, but they were still preoccupied with their own battles.
However, one responded.
Stjarna! Save Issei!
Kiyome was the first to reach out as tendrils latched into Issei and pulled him into Stjarna's body, the armor plates opening up for Issei to sink into his body to Rizevim's surprise.
"My dead God, don't tell me you can also heal others?" Rizevim could not believe the versatility of the Spawn of Trihexa. He had never seen the corpse father in action, but to think that the son had more variety than the father.
Meanwhile, while slowly losing his consciousness as embryonic fluids drowned Issei, tendrils wrapping around Issei as Stjarna made Issei undergo metamorphosis to repair his human cells, Issei started to recall the past.
XoX
"Read the flow of energy and become one with the flow? Can you actually copy techniques with this?"
The boy Issei asked Garou, who was under the alias known as Bang.
"It takes sense and a certain instinct to hone that level of the Water Stream. Copying it is the first step. Perfecting it and surpassing the technique takes talent." Garou scoffed as he watched the boy starting to frantically copy whatever was in his head.
The boy was trying to copy the Shun Goku Satsu from Street Fighter to little to no success, ending up falling on his butt.
He frowned and pouted.
"I can copy things from the first glance. You don't have that kind of talent or skill, kid."
"Then how can you do it?!" Issei shouted at Bang.
Rover was paddling the river, huffing while enjoying his bath.
"Experience. If you can't copy things by sight, try your other senses. Start small and work your way up. Heck, if you reach a high enough level, you might be able to replicate almost anything, even magic." Garou smirked.
"You're lying!" Issei accused.
Garou scoffed as he summoned a fireball atop his palm. He clenched the fire and unclenched, revealing a sphere of water, then earth, then ice.
"...Is that magic?" Issei asked.
"I encountered magic. This is me copying their tricks by mimicking the flow of force and behavior of surrounding energy. I don't need to rely on those so-called 'magic systems' or whatever, if I can replicate it my way. Try and get a sense for it. Then see if you can develop from there."
XoX
Stjarna sprayed acid while holding Xingtian in his maw.
The weird shaped god was sturdy as hell, even resisting the corrosive acid that could melt the scales and flesh of evil dragons.
The combatants that could no longer rely on sacred Gears retreated around Stjarna, forcing the enemy hordes to back off by their spells and light spears.
Worse, evil dragon clones joined the fray as they growled at them menacingly.
"I think this is kind of bad." Tobio grimaced, feeling useless without Jin.
"You can't really fight without Sacred Gear, so yeah, I share your sentiment." Vali snarked as he launched fireballs at the Kyonshee, albeit they deflected them with their jian swords.
Euclid and Ladon fenced them in with barrier magic and summoned a swarm of magic circles above them.
Azazel grimaced when Rizevim landed before them. The fallen could feel the raw power emanating from the super devil, something far greater than what was allowed.
"I'm done playing games, Azazel." Rizevim stared at them, his eyes now glowing sulfur yellow, inhuman dragon-like eyes replacing his human pupils.
"Now, here's the deal. You leave the clone of Djall here for further study and offer yourselves as my new guinea pigs if you want to live."
"That is a terrible deal. You suck at playing the Biblical devil." Azazel rebuked.
"Why bother when I have the upper hand?" Rizevim covered himself in a dome to protect himself from the acid spat by the bigger Stjarna.
"Djall, please behave. Your father is busy asserting his dominance over his inferiors."
Xingtian roared as he launched himself out of Kiyome's Stjarna, landing beside Rizevim as he shook the acid off his body. His arm and leg armor were melted off, his Divine weapons mangled by the acid.
"...And if we don't take the deal?" Azazel played along.
"I'll assume my newest form and devour every single one of you right here and now. You have ten seconds to make your choice."
"Well, that's unpleasant."
Kiyome's Stjarna hissed at Rizevim and his army.
Xingtian growled in return as Rizevim counted.
"Ten. Nine. Eight. Sev-"
However, as if fortune was on their side, there was a loud siren blare, the lights in the room invaded by intermittent red as an announcement interrupted them.
[WARNING! Qlippoth core meltdown imminent! WARNING! Qlippoth core meltdown imminent!]
Everyone paused as they looked around confused.
Rizevim, however, was bewildered.
"...Ah, finally, that little black rascal did his part." Azazel sighed with relief.
"What? What did you do?" Rizevim demanded, his gaze now irate.
"Well, we sort of had a backup plan. Well, Platinum had one. We came with one more passenger, though I admit that we kind of forgot about him. He is great at sneaking around, you know? Arm him with a custom stealth device in secret, and you get yourself a perfect saboteur. He's probably having the time of his life right now, playing with your important projects and all that."
Rizevim blinked thrice, processing Azazel's words before his face contorted into a furious scowl.
"Well? You got your choices. Either kill us and let your base blow us all up, though I think Stjarna will survive at least, or you go and stop whatever Black did to your precious base. I mean, aren't all of your precious research notes here? Priceless irreplaceable materials? I mean, where else can you get a spare Trihexa corpse, huh? Huh?" Azazel started wiggling his brows at the enraged Trihexa-jacked Devil.
Tobio whistled at Azazel's ultimatum. Magnus nodded, impressed. Mitsuya chuckled at Azazel's gall to infuriate one of the main leaders like this.
"You…! Damn you!" Rizevim spread his wings, his wings now more dragon than bat, as he flew out of the room, busting through a wall in his escape.
Euclid scowled before he turned to gaze at where Rizevim had vanished. However, he addressed the other Evil Dragons first, "All of you, we're regrouping! The base must be saved at all costs! Xingtian…"
Euclid glared at the smugly smiling ones.
The warrior god growled at the group as he clenched his fists.
[Warning! Hazardous Biological Materials have breached containment! Warning!]
"...Show yourselves out." Xingtian turned around. "We are promised victory against the Jade Emperor. Next time we meet, you won't survive."
The stomach-faced god left with his Kyonshee and chimera hordes as Euclid left with Ladon and the evil dragon clones through the opening in the room.
Seeing this, Azazel sighed with relief.
"Alright… now let's see." Azazel turned to the bigger Stjarna, seeing it wail.
"I'm not sure if we can rescue this Stjarna anymore. Vali, Arthur, Lavinia, thoughts?" Azazel asked.
"...The seal is too strong. It's resistant to basically… everything we can throw at it. Divide, magic, everything. Even Arthur's Caliburn…" Vali shook his head.
…Issei is severely injured. Stjarna is repairing him, but…
"Do we have any spare Phoenix Tears?" Tobio asked.
Each of them patted their bodies for them.
"Phoenix Tears are rare for a reason." Azazel sighed. "We used them all up. It was an emergency gathering, too."
The larger Stjarna hissed as it wailed in pain.
We can't just leave Stjarna here!
"We don't have the strength to take him with us. The seal… it is too powerful. It fixes Stjarna physically and spiritually in place. It even negates any form of teleportation. Rizevim really, really wants him to stay here. Even if we destroy the floor, Stjarna would remain affixed in the position in space. He literally cannot move."
Kiyome frantically thought of how to save him from this hell. She refused to leave him after coming this far.
[...Go.]
Everything blinked at the voice. They turned to the source, looking at the larger Stjarna.
[...Leave. I'll… live.]
They were stunned.
Stjarna finally learned how to speak. His timing was terrible, however.
Nope, nuh-uh, all of us are leaving this place, mister!
Stjarna looked at Kiyome riding his bottom half.
Stjarna opened his mouth and extended its lamprey tongue.
The plates covering Kiyome opened as her 'Stjarna' ejected her, letting her see what Stjarna was offering her.
Stjarna's lamprey tongue spat something at Kiyome. She caught it in her hands, seeing what looked like an egg version of a Trihexa cell.
It was pulsating in her hands.
[Remember me… Kiyome… I… will always remember you.]
Tears swelled in Kiyome's eyes. The dendrites still connected to her nape as Stjarna showed her what she should do with it. It was the perfected version of Stjarna's cells. He was leaving his avatar with Kiyome. It knew what it would do if Stjarna were to lose his memories like Rizevim promised.
Finally, she did not resist as Stjarna's other half retrieved her and dove down, chewing through the metal.
Vali and the others looked at the hole in the lab as they grimaced.
"Yooooo!" They looked up, seeing Black running towards them. "I messed a lot of shit up! We gotta go! I don't know how much time I bought!"
"...What about Platinum?" Azazel asked.
"He stopped duking it out with Izanami when the alarms blared! He convinced the black-eyed woman to drop him to Earth at Kiyome's mansion! Seriously, we should've brought the baldy!"
Azazel sighed, mentally agreeing with Black on that.
"Alright! We're leaving!"
Black hopped on Azazel the moment he donned his golden armor, Rizevim's sealing power no longer affecting them.
"We're going to Asia to recuperate! Then we're heading to the Underworld to provide support!"
Everyone nodded. Today, they may have lost the battle, but they survived. They lived to fight another day…
Azazel looked at Stjarna one last time.
"...I hope to see you again."
Azazel did not know Stjarna for long, but… he prayed to whatever god out there, that the creature would survive, spiritually and mentally, as they followed Kiyome to Earth's orbit.
Within the ruins of the laboratory, Diodora wheezed as he chewed on a stray magician in the corner of the room, eating the torn limb as he ravenously devoured the skin and muscle, his eyes bloodshot as he looked around.
Diodora managed to escape the moment the giant wyrm wreaked havoc. He managed to break out of his prison, the glass tube that imprisoned him, tortured him.
He lost count of how many times he prayed for death to take him, only to be brought back, his body and soul at further verge of breakdown.
He cannot live like this anymore. His body can no longer be sustained.
Taking the magician's heart with him, he made his way out of the base through the same hole that the creature left while everyone was busy trying to mend the damage to the base.
Diodora Astaroth had decided the moment he witnessed the beautiful blue planet that was Earth.
He needed a new body.
There was one in mind that was perfect to house his mad spirit.
XoX
In the room housing the corpse of the Trihexa, Psykos stared at the now empty room.
The corpse was gone.
All of the years of research on the corpse had been downloaded by an unknown source. She just returned from her studies and now the corpse was somehow gone from the room during the chaos.
She grit her teeth and clenched her fist.
No matter… as long as they have the Spawn, the corpse should not matter.
But its retrieval shall be a priority.
Every security camera in the room was blinded by some kind of darkness before everything was gone. They should've placed as much security here as they did the Spawn, of course someone would attempt to steal it.
Now, she must find out who dared to abscond with their prize.
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