Disclaimer: I don't own DxD, Against The Gods, Martial God Asura, Martial World, or the story's image. They all belong to their respective owners.
Info:
Cultivation Realms – Elementary Profound Realm, Nascent Profound Realm, True Profound Realm, Spirit Profound Realm, Earth Profound Realm, Sky Profound Realm, Emperor Profound Realm, Tyrant Profound Realm, Sovereign Profound Realm, Divine Profound Realm and Saint Profound Realm.
World Spiritist Levels – White-Cloak, Gray-Cloak, Blue-Cloak, Purple-Cloak, Gold-Cloak.
Fleshly Body ranks - Strength Training Stage, Viscera Training Stage, Muscle Altering Stage, Bone Forging Stage, Pulse Condensation Period, Tempering Marrow, Eight Inner Hidden Gates and Nine Stars of the Dao Palace.
Beta-read by: KryoKon
Chapter 37 - Prelude To The Battle
The morning of the next day...
As Issei and the other slept, a group of hundreds of bandits could be seen treading through the forest, all of the them heading towards the center of the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range. Leading his entourage was a middle-aged man, with a scar that ran across his face, cutting through his nose.
"We are almost there, men!"
The man then raised the large mace that hung by his waist, a crude smile on his face. "We, the Black Demon Bandits, shall obtain their treasure! This shall be the last negotiation. If they are unwilling to..."
"KILL!"
The crowd of bandits behind the man turned excited, bloodthirsty expression on their faces. All of them screamed again and again, "Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The leader of the group nodded at the words full of blood-lust, the corner of his lips curling up in a vicious and wicked smile. "Today... we shall strike it rich! Kill them all!"
"Kill! Kill Kill!" The crowd behind the man repeated, their words reverberating throughout the entire mountain range, like the drums of war.
…
…
…
Within one of the houses of the village, Clan Leader Feng sat on top of a chair, a grim expression on his handsome face. He knew. He knew that sooner or later, the bandits would arrive. He knew... that this would most likely be his last day.
He then sighed, and looked up at the ceiling of his house, on which was the engraving of a large phoenix, ascending to the highest of skies. Although it was only a painting, it exuded warmth, and more than anything, dignity and nobility.
"Ancestor... Phoenix God...," murmured the man, his expression growing solemn, while melancholy shined in his eyes. "I won't allow your bloodline to be stolen... Even if it means all of our deaths, I won't shame your almighty name. I only ask you this... please, grant us a miracle."
Clan Leader Feng waited for a long time, but nothing happened. He then sighed and closed his eyes. When they opened again, they were full resoluteness. He had already come to terms that he would die this day. Getting up from his chair, he opened the door of his hut, going outside.
In the village, children ran around, all of them playing and having fun. The scene was full of naivety, and none of them could feel the impeding death that stealthy approached them. Clan Leader Feng's expression faltered for a split-second. This children... they would all die. He knew it, and yet... he couldn't accept it.
He then took in a deep breath and walked over to the entrance of the village. Wherever he went, everyone stopped whatever they were doing, and as if being drawn in by his aura of resoluteness, they begun to follow after him. Children, men and women.. slowly, the entire village was behind Clan Leader Feng.
"The time has come," Clan Leader Feng sighed, stopping in front of the entrance of the village. His gaze was locked onto the far horizon, a solemn expression on his features. "United we rise... united we fall."
He then turned around, and swept his eyes over the crowd of villagers. All of them had equally serious expressions, and most of them already knew what was about to happen. No one retreated. Not even one of them showed fear. They stood their ground firmly.
"We shall fight. We won't shame the name of the Phoenix God. If we die, we shall die with honor," began Clan Leader Feng. "Even though our chances are slim... we shall still try. No matter how bad the situation is, there is still hope. No matter what happens, we will fight until the end."
Clan Leader Feng raised the staff on his hands, and along with it, the fighting spirit of the villagers. He then slammed it down on the ground, causing his surroundings to tremble. All of the villagers took out their weapons, brandishing them.
…
In the back of the crowd stood three people. Issei, Xiao Luocheng and Lan Xueruo gazed at the scenes that took place in front of them without saying a word. It wasn't their time to interrupt. That moment... belonged solely to the villagers.
"What should we do?" asked Xiao Luocheng after a while, his gaze locked onto the far horizon. Even though he didn't have Spirit Power, and wasn't able to literally sense the presence of people, he was sure that in a couple of minutes, their enemies should arrive.
"We fight," said Issei without a change in expression. "There are countless experts there, but... we still have a chance."
Xiao Luocheng nodded, and didn't say another word. He then slapped his cosmos sack, taking out his two swords. A cold streak flashed in his eyes, and his expression grew murderous.
"...I'll help too."
Lan Xueruo took out a sword, and while ignoring the pain that flooded her body, she tried to keep a steady position. Even though it had already been a few days, she had yet to heal. In terms of fighting prowess, she was not stronger than someone in the early Nascent Profound Realm.
"No. You will stay back."
Surprisingly, Issei took a step forward and raised up his arm, directly blocking Lan Xueruo. Issei looked at Lan Xueruo and smiled softly, "I can't let any harm befall on you. Differently from us, you actually have vital importance to the Blue Wind Nation. Isn't that right... Princess Cang Yue?"
Lan Xueruo's eyes widened, and she took a step back in surprise. Her mind reeled, Issei's words having left her completely flabbergasted. In the end, all she could say was, "How...?"
Issei simply smiled, not saying a single word for a long time. He then sighed and said, "That's not important right now. All that you should know is that you shouldn't participate in this battle."
"But-"
"You're the only princess of this nation. Not only that, you are a girl and young. Your life is far too precious, and I can't allow it to be harmed. Just sit back and rest. I'll take care of everything."
After saying so, Issei didn't add more words, and walked forward, a surprised Xiao Luocheng following after him. Lan Xueruo was left behind, her eyes widened, her mouth agape and her emotions in a mess.
Unbeknownst to Issei, his words had caused a rather different effect than he intended on Lan Xueruo's young maiden heart. Being faced with Issei's pure confidence, warmness and seriousness, for some reason, Lan Xueruo's heart had somehow skipped a beat.
"...Just who is him?" murmured Lan Xueruo after a long time. She then shook her head, and took a few steps back. All of a sudden, she felt that she somehow trusted his words. She didn't know why or how, but... she simply believed in him.
…
"Issei, what the hell was that?!" Xiao Luocheng's expression was one of surprise and bafflement, and in the moment he reached a certain distance from Lan Xueruo, he couldn't help but to be unable to contain his excitement any further. "Cang Yue? Lan Xueruo is Can Yue? The princess of Blue Wind Nation?! Just how did you find out?!"
"It was simple," Issei smiled, glancing back at Cang Yue's direction before turning his attention back to Xiao Luocheng. "You know how I spent countless hours in the library? There, I found information on the Royal Family, and it included some pictures of the princess, along with her description and level of cultivation.
"When we arrived here, although it wasn't obvious, Lan Xueruo's features had been changed, and her cultivation base had broken through to the initial levels of the True Profound Realm. All of this matched with the information on Cang Yue. Finally, she mentioned that she was heading back to Blue Wind Imperial City, and even said that she had come from there. After thinking a little, it wasn't hard to find out the truth."
After saying so, Issei simply smiled slyly, not saying anything more. He slowly watched as Xiao Luocheng's expression became one of surprise, then enlightenment, followed by amazement and in the end, respect.
The corner of Xiao Luocheng's lips curled upwards, and as if he had completely forgotten about the battle that they were about to face, he patted Issei on the back while saying, "Issei... you are simply too amazing."
Issei merely smiled, not bothering to say anything. He then turned his head around, and just as he was about to take a step forward, his expression changed all of a sudden. His eyes narrowed, and a fierce and cold glint shined.
"They are almost here," Issei said plainly. He then turned around and looked at Xiao Luocheng seriously, "I must have you promise me something."
"Mn? Of course! What is it?"
"No matter what happens in this battle, you aren't allowed to tell anyone about what techniques I use, what weapons I bring out or whatever I summon. This is extremely important. Can you promise me that?" Issei's expression was stern as he asked.
"Yes!" Xiao Luocheng nodded, even though he didn't really understand the meaning behind Issei's words. His promise was sincere, and as someone who considered himself to be honest, he would never dare to break it.
"Good," said Issei, nodding. He could perceive the firmness behind Xiao Luocheng words. He wouldn't go back on them. "If that's the case, then I can finally release myself."
After saying so, a golden lightning flashed in Issei's eyes, and his cultivation base rose from the first level of the Nascent Profound Realm to the second. Xiao Luocheng's eyes widened, but little did he know that this was only the beginning.
Without missing a beat, Issei pulled back the sleeves of both of his arms, revealing his long and firm arms, which were littered with small scars, result of his insane-like training. The young man then channeled spiritual power into his two arms, and in the next moment, countless tattoos appeared on them. All of those tattoos represented a different type of sword, and there were countless of them. From what Xiao Luocheng could see, there were almost a thousand.
"Let's go," said Issei as he begun walking towards the crowd of villagers, quickly arriving at the entrance of the village, where he stopped by Clan Leader Feng's side. Soon after, Xiao Luocheng arrived. Issei looked at Clan Leader Feng and said, "Call back the villagers. They will only be a hindrance."
"What...?" Clan Leader Feng's eyes widened in surprise, looking at the youth by his side incredulously. "You plan to take on all of them with just you two?"
"No," Issei smiled mysteriously. "I plan to take on all of them alone."
He then turned around and looked at Xiao Luocheng, "Protect the villagers. Deal with any of the bandits that manage to escape."
Xiao Luocheng revealed a surprise expression. "What are you talking about? Weren't we going to fight together? What's this about?"
"You'd just get in the way," Issei sighed, knowing all too well that Xiao Luocheng would be unwilling to miss out in this battle. However, he knew that if he wanted to fight to his full potential, this would be necessary. "Look, I'm sorry, but I'm serious. You being there will only restrict me."
"And why is that?" Xiao Luocheng humphed, thinking that Issei was looking down on him. He wasn't about to stay back and watch as his closest friend faced an entire army. This simply went against his principles.
"Because of this," Issei smirked, closing his eyes. The marks on his arms started to shine, and all around Issei, countless lights flashed. Tens, hundreds... countless flying swords appeared all around Issei, all of them being of different shapes and sizes. However, it was clear that each and every of them was powerful... much more powerful than Gan Jiang and Mo Ye.
Before Xiao Luocheng could even understand what was happening, Issei opened his eyes and said, "Activate formation [Fifty Lotuses]."
After Issei said such words, all of the swords behind him began to change positions. They then divided in fifty groups of then swords, each of those groups aligned in a lotus-pattern, with the swords being the petals.
Some swords, around two dozen, were left, not fitting in the formations. Those swords then flew towards Issei, hovering all around him. In the end, Issei stood there, a serious expression on his face, surrounded by countless sword formations and flying swords.
This was the technique that he had acquired from Li Xiaodie, the World Spirit that almost killed Eggy. Although Issei couldn't use the full power of this formation, it was already more than enough... to slaughter whoever entered his sight.
Xiao Luocheng, along with Clan Leader Feng, the villagers and Cang Yue started to pant, expressions of disbelief on their faces as they gazed at Issei's back, that at that moment, seemed like the highest of mountains. Proud and insurmountable, piercing through the heavens.
It was also at that moment that in the distance, strange sounds began to rang out. The sound started low, but soon enough, it was already ringing in their ears. The ground trembled, and an army appeared in the distance.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The man in the army had bloodthirsty expression, and the man leading them, Black Demon, brandished his sword. At some point through their travel, he had suddenly decided that he would forget about negotiation. He came with the desire to kill, slaughter, plunder and ravish!
However, at that moment, he suddenly caught sight of Issei, along with his hundreds of swords that hovered behind him. His eyes widened, and he halted his advancements, forcefully stopping his horse. His expression was one of disbelief as he glared at Issei.
Issei looked back at them, a cold and apathetic expression on his face. His right hand moved slightly, and a pitch-black sword appeared on it, his most powerful Divine Weapon, Heaven's Piercer. At the same time, around him, a black fog condensed, filling his surroundings, but at the same time, not coming even close to the villagers. That black fog was... the Seven Heavens Poison, the poison that could decrease cultivation!
One man, hundreds of swords, facing against an army of bandits. That scene was forever engraved in the minds of everyone who looked at it. At that very moment, Issei's aura was at its peak, and an intense and boundless blood-lust erupted from his body, flooding the entire area.
As if on cue, Black Demon's eyes shone with a cold light and he raised his dark mace up in the skies, his expression bloodthirsty.
"Charge!"
The men behind him roared, and they charged forward, all of them heading directly towards the youth who stood in their way while repeating, "Kill Kill Kill!"
As for Issei, he looked at them coolly, and a faint smile appeared on his handsome face.
The battle... had begun.
Read & Review~! (Again, last chapter didn't have enough reviews. If there is enough on this one, there will be a double release tomorrow. Just take a few seconds out of your days and reviews. It doesn't cost anything, and you'll even gain an extra chapter!)