Disclaimer: I do own nothing, nor High School DxD, nor the image or any non-original concept I will put in this fiction. They belong to their rightful owners, and I am not making a profit by doing this. Since when we can do profit anyway. Just wanna have some fun writing this.
There will be many references or concepts from other animes and games. But before we start, a thank you to Darklord331 for beta reading this chapter.
Chapter 38 – Heavenly Fire
Previously in Hallowed Blade
"I'm the kind of woman who never give up until I get what I want, so please take care of me from now on."
"However, I would like you to be prepared for the peace talk itself as we may have to fight them."
After an eventful evening in the realm of the youkais, we're back with our young angel, Sakuya who was watching over the 'not really young' Satan, Serafall who kept her head under her pillow.
"Kuh, why is the sun already up? I curse you, Amaterasu-chan…" She groaned in her bed while Sakuya looked at her with a concerned gaze before he held out a water bottle.
"Do you want some water, Serafall? I heard that you need to hydrate yourself when you have a hangover."
"Thank you, Sakuya-chan. You're an angel…" She mumbled as she accepted it with a smile before she gulped the content in one go while Sakuya chuckled.
"Well, that's my job. Anyway, you should rest and sleep for today, you drank a lot yesterday." He said as he sat on a chair, facing Serafall who shook her head.
"No, I'm fine. I don't look like it but I handle alcohol. There is a lot to do before the peace talk like preparing ourselves for the attack."
"The attack? What are you talking about?" Sakuya asked a little confused as he took a sip from his water bottle before he heard a familiar voice from behind him.
"So you haven't heard about it yet." Sakuya spat the water in his mouth in surprise before he quickly looked back while coughing only to see a familiar old man who was crouching on the window sill.
"What are you doing here, Takemikazuchi-san?" Sakuya asked as he wiped his mouth with his forearm while Takemikazuchi simply chuckled.
"Why am I here? It's quite simple, we're here to kidnap you." He said as he snapped his fingers while Sakuya and Serafall blinked at his answer before they saw Tsukuyomi who appeared from behind Takemikazuchi and entered the room.
"Restraint." Tsukuyomi said as he pointed his index and middle fingers at Sakuya, causing him to unconsciously lock his arms behind his back which surprised him.
"Sorry about this, Ojou-chan, but we'll be taking him with us for three days until the meeting." Takemikazuchi said to Serafall who gave a small nod as she looked at Tsukuyomi who carried the confused Sakuya in his arms before they left the hotel room by jumping out of the window.
"I guess they'll tell him about it in my place. Well, it works for me."
After I was kidnapped by Takemikazuchi and Tsukuyomi, the latter who was carrying me like a princess, I could only sigh as the former told me about the famous attack and the current situation of the internal conflicts in the Shintō Pantheon.
"At this point, I'm not that surprised anymore."
"It looks like you experienced that kind of thing a lot of time, judging by your tone." Takemikazuchi said while I nodded before I started to remember several events in the past. The Khaos Brigade during the peace talk at Kuoh, Loki during the meeting between Odin and the Japanese gods, and while it was only a pure coincidence, the Hero Faction interfering with our meeting with the youkais.
"To be honest, I don't think that a peace talk is really needed given Ama-chan's relationship with your leaders which is a good one. They would be able to easily negotiate and form an alliance. However by doing it, we may be able to attract the ones who are against it."
"In other words, we will act as bait but are you sure they will bite the hook?"
"There is a high chance they will. After all, it's already been several years that they showed dissatisfaction towards Ama-chan and it became more severe lately."
"I see, I understand. However, I don't understand why you are kidnapping me like that."
"Well, you said yesterday that you were interested in my training regime so I thought that I could train you, and Tsukuyo thought it would be funny if we were to take you away like this. Aren't you happy to be carried away by a cute child like Tsukuyo?" Takemikazuchi said before he gestured to Tsukuyomi who looked at me with an expressionless face which reminded me of Ophis.
"Not really but I'm happy about the training, I appreciate it. Although, where are we going right now?"
"We're going to Tsukuyo's place in Takamagahara. He lives like a hermit, so his house is situated in an isolated part of Takamagahara. We won't get any distraction and with his dimension creation spells, we will be able to train all the time and without worrying about collateral damage." Takemikazuchi said while I hummed at the information before I started to imagine what kind of place was Takamagahara.
"Let's do this, my faithful disciple!"
"Since when I became your disciple?" I deadpanned before I saw Takemikazuchi grinning as he looked at me with a smirk on his face.
"Ever since you accepted to receive my training. Now, let's run together towards the setting sun with our burning youth!"
"No, it's rising right now and you're not that young…"
"Hush! I always wanted to say that after I saw it in a movie. Anyway, let's go."
"I see, so it is just like the situation with Loki-sama." Rossweisse said as she muttered to herself while Azazel nodded. The Grigori Governor made a little visit to the Angels in Kuoh after he was given a report from Serafall which she shared with the higher-ups of the Biblical Faction about the situation with the Japanese Gods.
"Yep, and this is why I would like you girls to act just like last time."
"What about Ise-nii-san and the others? Why aren't they here with us?" Asia asked Azazel as she tilted her head in confusion, a feeling that was shared by the other girls. And to their surprise, Azazel who shook his head before he started to explain.
"No, they won't. While they have their Rating Game against Sairaorg in five days, they must make an apparition in the Underworld for a public interview which will take place two day before the match."
"Two days… Then it will happen at the same day as the peace talk."
"That's why they won't participate in this operation. Also, I won't be able to come with you girls as I'll have to go with them since I'm their team's adviser."
"Understood. Is there anything else we should know about?"
"There is some probability that the Khaos Brigade will make an appearance too so you should be prepared for anything."
"So, in the end, we will have to fight against both gods and terrorists?"
"But I wonder how many gods are against the alliance. I once read that there were at least eight million gods in the Japanese mythology."
"Eight million is a little exaggerated but it's true that there is a lot of gods in their faction. However, many of them aren't that strong compared to a god like Amaterasu or Tsukuyomi who are both as strong if not stronger than Loki. And from what I heard, the rebels are mostly lower and minor gods. If anything, you can compare them to a Middle-class to High-class Stray Devils."
"So it's more about quantity over quality?" Xenovia muttered as she crossed her arms in thought while Azazel nodded.
"That's right but again, their definition of gods is a little different from the other mythologies like ours."
"What do you mean by that, Azazel-san? Are their gods different from ours?" Jeanne asked in confusion while Azazel scratched his head before he started to explain.
"I would say it depends on the deities themselves. In Shintōism, a god or a kami, as their believers call them, are often listed in two cases. The first case are deities like Amaterasu who were born from the two primordial Japanese gods, Izanagi and Izanami. However, there are only a few of them among the gods in the Shintō Faction."
"What about the second case?"
"The other ones are either divine beings such as dragons, spirits born from nature or objects who became kami after the Shintō practitioners started to worship them, or humans beings who became kami after their deaths. You could say that anything they worship can be considered like a kami and from their perspective, we could also be considered as kami too."
"Hmm… It's a little confusing." Asia said as she tilted her head in confusion while Azazel chuckled before he placed his fist against his chin.
"I can't blame you since their definition is relatively different from what you were taught at the Church. Nonetheless, they aren't that great when compared to the first case but they make it up for their large numbers."
"Oh yes, Azazel-sensei. You said earlier that both Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi were stronger than Loki but is there anybody else stronger than them?" Xenovia asked the Governor who closed in eyes in thought for several seconds before he answered her.
"Honestly, I can only think of four gods who are as powerful as Loki if I excluded both Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. Well, you all already got a taste of his and Fenrir's power, the latter being a literal monster so you should know what you will be fighting against if any of them are part of the rebels."
"Please don't say that, Azazel-sensei. Are you trying to jinx us?" Irina complained at Azazel with a pout while the latter chuckled before he bowed his head in apology.
"Sorry about that, but don't worry. I will send some of my best agents like Baraqiel to assist you girls and Michael will be doing the same."
"That's good to hear. But what about the devils? Will they send someone?" Jeanne said as she let out a sigh of relief before she asked her question to which Azazel shook his head.
"No, other than Serafall who will be the Biblical Faction's representative, they won't be able to send anybody as they will be busy with their future Rating Games. There are some possibilities that the Khaos Brigade will attack the Underworld because there will be several gods who will be coming to the Underworld as guests such as the one from the Greek pantheon or the geezer, Odin. With so many big shots reunited at the same place, it will be a perfect moment for the Khaos Brigade to strike." He explained while Rossweisse growled at the mention of her former boss as she frowned her eyes but she was quickly calmed down by the other girls.
"If this is the case, it can't be helped. Nonetheless, I wonder who Michael-sama is sending." Jeanne said as she patted Rossweisse's shoulder while Azazel only send her a smirk.
"Don't worry, Michael told me he would send her to Kuoh as soon as possible. Maybe she's already on her way here." He said, confusing the girls, and before they could guess who Michael sent, they heard the doorbell ring.
"That's a good timing, it may be her." Azazel said as he watched Rossweisse walking to the front door and when she came back, the girls widened their eyes at the familiar person by the former Valkyrie's side.
"S–Sister Griselda?!"
"It has been a long time, I see that you've been well since the sports event."
"Oh yeah, I heard from Serafall that he got kidnapped this morning by Takemikazuchi and Tsukuyomi who both decided to train him, especially the former."
"As expected of Sakuya, always training when he can." Xenovia said as she nodded to herself with a smile on her face while
"You're the only one who is willing to train with Sakuya-kun all day…" Irina said with a weak chuckle while Griselda softly smiled as she looked at her charge.
"It is great you think so, Xenovia, because I have a special gift for you. It is from Michael-sama himself."
"A gift from Michael-sama?" Xenovia asked while Griselda nodded before she took out something from her dimensional storage. It was a majestic golden longsword, including the handle. The cross guard was shaped like a small set of wings and has a small, triangle-like plate with seven green gems on it.
"That feeling… Sister Griselda, don't tell me it's…?" Jeanne started to say as she couldn't help but to feel something from the sword in Griselda's hand, a feeling that was shared by Xenovia and Irina.
"I'm not really surprised that you managed to recognize that sword. Well, you three did wield a fragment of it for a few years. This is indeed Excalibur, the holy sword that was wielded by King Arthur in its original appearance before it was broken apart."
"What a beautiful sword, I never thought I would be able to see that sword with my two own eyes…"
"A few days ago, Sakuya managed to get hold of Excalibur Ruler and sent it to Michael-sama who was quite happy.
"But wasn't Excalibur Ruler one of Arthur-san's holy swords? Since when did Sakuya-san get that sword?" Asia asked as she tilted her head in confusion while Jeanne closed her eyes in thought.
"Maybe he got it from Le Fay-chan, she was already with him when we arrived in Kyoto, and she told us that they only needed that sword to control Fenrir before we went and fought it and Loki. Maybe they don't need it anymore so they gave it away."
"Although I'm happy to receive Excalibur, but why me? Aren't there better people who are better suited for Excalibur like Cristaldi-sensei?" Xenovia said as she looked at the holy sword she received from Griselda who nodded.
"Indeed, Uriel-sama and Raphael-sama thought it was better to entrust Excalibur to Cristaldi-sensei because of his mastery of the holy sword. However, Gabriel-sama insisted that Excalibur should be given to one of you since in her own words, you all always get involved in important situations like right now unlike Cristaldi-sensei who is remaining in the Vatican."
"You're saying it as if we're cursed…" Irina deadpanned at Griselda who chuckled.
"Aren't you? Until now, you all participated in major events ever since the creation of the Alliance, and because of that, Michael-sama decided to entrust Excalibur to you girls. I also have something for you, Irina. It's also a gift from Michael-sama." She said before she took out another sword which she gave to Irina who received it with wide eyes.
"That sword… It looks like one of Kiba-san's holy-demonic swords."
"Oh yeah, Michael did request Kiba to give him one of his holy-demonic swords before the Kuoh Treaty in order to research them. I guess they managed to mass-produce them back in Heaven." Azazel said as he looked at the sword in Irina's hand whose eyes started to shine before she looked at her partner with a wide smile.
"Hey, Xenovia, let's go test those swords right now!"
"I'm right behind you!" She shouted with enthusiasm before she ran off with Xenovia in direction of the storeroom in the basement where there was a magic that is linked with a training ground similar to a Rating Game field which was created by Rossweisse at Sakuya and Xenovia's request.
"Oh dear, they're just like children who got their hands on new toys… Ah." Griselda commented as she shook her head while sighing, but a little smile could be seen on her face. However, it quickly disappeared as she let out a little sound when she saw Ophis walking in their direction.
"Is there something wrong, Ophis-chan?" Asia asked as she knelt down in front of Ophis who pointed her finger at the garden outside of the house.
"I, want to water the plants but I can't find my elephant bucket."
"Ah, I put it inside the shed. Please follow me, I'll show you where I put it."
"This is quite a sight."
"What do you mean, Sister Griselda?" Jeanne asked as she looked at her surrogate older sister who was staring at Ophis's back with a thoughtful expression before she shook her head.
"No, I just find it a little surprising to see the Ouroboros acting like a little girl, especially when she was the leader of the Khaos Brigade and the Dragon God."
"Oh yes, I read that in Christianity, dragons are considered as evil beings according to the Lord's teachings. Are the heaven and the church really fine with the fact that we are keeping Ophis in our house?"
"I would say it should be fine. In the past, there was a saint who became venerated after she managed to tame a tyrannical dragon that was tormenting the people of southern France with nothing but hymns and prayers in the past. They said that her kindness managed to charm the terrible dragon who knew naught of love. And now, Sakuya and Asia managed to do the same thing with Ophis. In fact, they should both get venerated as saints by them. However, there may be some opposition but they won't be able to do a thing since Michael doesn't mind about Ophis as long as she isn't our enemy." Azazel answered Rossweisse before he got up from his seat and then walked in the direction of the entrance.
"Alright, now that I did my job, I'll go back to my office. I have some paperwork to do and if I don't finish them, Shemhazai will have my head."
"Understood, please have a good day, Azazel-san." Jeanne said before she bowed her head with the other girls doing the same while the Governor simply raised his hand without looking back as he left the house.
"Well then, I will join the girls. I was tasked by Michael-sama to help them train with their new swords after all." Griselda said while Rossweisse nodded before she gestured to the older woman to follow her.
"Ah, I'll show you the way to our training ground." And as Jeanne watched them walking in the direction of the basement, she stretched her body before she looked at the time to see that it was soon noon.
"I guess I should prepare lunch. Hm…" She said but before she went to the kitchen, she noticed from the corner of her eyes Ophis who was watering the plants in the garden with a smiling Asia by her side.
"A dragon who knew naught of love… I can't imagine what kind of life Ophis lived until now, but I hope that she will be able to smile and emote like a normal person." Jeanne muttered under her breath before she walked in the direction of the kitchen with a sad smile on her face.
In a certain place in the realm of the Shintō gods, Takamagahara. Sounds of steel clashing against each other could be heard across the place as two people were fighting each other in the sky.
"Don't think or plan your next move! You have to keep your mind clear of all thoughts and only act with your instincts!"
"That's easier said than done…" Sakuya groaned before he momentarily closed his eyes in order to focus.
"Concentrate and think of nothing, just like during ki control…" He muttered before he suddenly opened his eyes and then charged at Takemikazuchi who did the same before their weapons clashed once again. And then, they continued as they flew across the sky at high-speed until Sakuya managed to slash Takemikazuchi but he widened when the old man disappeared from his sight.
"An after image! Where did he… Gah?!" He said as he looked around him, searching for Takemikazuchi before he received a blow at the back of his head, making him drop in the direction of the ground.
"Don't just use your eyes! You must always use all of your five senses together in order to keep a track on my ki!" Takemikazuchi shouted as he charged at Sakuya who managed to stop himself in his fall before he raised his sword, blocking a blow coming from the old god.
"In order to truly master your swordsmanship, you must become one with your weapon. You must consider it as if it was an extension of your body! You don't move your arm to swing your sword to kill your enemy but you move your sword to kill!" Takemikazuchi shouted before he pushed Sakuya back and started to assault him with blows at a speed that he had trouble keeping up with as several cuts appeared one by one on his body.
"Empty your mind like a white void! Become as cold as the steel like a sword! With a mind clear of all doubt, all it remains behind is a sharp instinct that is as sharp as your blade!"
"Kokūjin: Raizanshou!" Takemikazuchi shouted as he unleashed a lightning blast with his katana at Sakuya who crashed on the ground before he received the lightning blast at full force.
"Alright, let's take a short break for now." Takemikazuchi said as he crouched down next to Sakuya who groaned on the ground before he nodded.
"Okay…" He simply said before his stomach started to growl, making him blush out of embarrassment while Takemikazuchi laughed as he sat down on the ground next to his disciple.
"It's almost lunch time, so Tsukuyo will soon come with some food. In the meantime, you should rest while I tell you everything that went wrong during that little spar of us." He said, attiring Sakuya's attention as he stared at him from the corner of his eyes.
"First, you are still thinking before you move rather than just moving, and it limits your fighting speed. Messages can only travel through your nervous system so fast, and when you rely on your thoughts for physical action such as how to attack or defend, you lose some precious fighting time and you make too many wasted movement in your actions."
"Well, it's quite difficult to keep my mind clear all the time, especially when fighting."
"You're right, but I never said that it will be easy. In fact, only a few gods and martial artists managed to master that state of mind while many had failed to do so."
"I see. And do you really think that I will be able to learn that in only three days?"
"No, it's impossible. But I can make you stronger by having you learn at least the base and direct you to the ultimate realm a swordsman can attain with his swordsmanship, the realm of Nothingness."
"Nothingness, that sounds cool…" Sakuya mumbled while Takemikazuchi laughed with a wide smile.
"You think so too? Anyway, in order to reach Nothingness, you must clear your mind completely of all thoughts, and abandon any distractions that would disrupt the focus of your body like emotions such as fear, anger, pride, and ego. By doing so, your body moves on its own through your instinct and is able to act at full strength."
"In other words, I must become emotionless and never think at all?"
"Yep, and this is why I will have you keep trying to always keep a clear mind, be it during our fights or even outside of training for those three days. Also, we will refine your instincts and intuition to a level where you will be able to respond to any threat without the need for though, so you better be prepared for some surprise attacks from us."
"I don't think my body will handle all of that. Wait, us?" Sakuya said before he blinked in confusion while Takemikazuchi nodded with a chuckle.
"Yep, Tsukuyo will also participate in your training and attack you with some of his spells. We shouldn't leave him out or he will be sad."
"What is he, a rabbit?" Sakuya deadpanned while Takemikazuchi snorted at the thought as he imagined Tsukuyomi in a bunny onesie.
"Well, rabbits are his favorite animal. Also, don't worry about your body. I won't die that easily, I guarantee you that. Nonetheless, you still have a long way to go when it comes to ki."
"I just learned how to control and sense ki from Yasaka-sama two days ago, I'm still a beginner at that."
"I see, then I won't hold it against you. Everyone must start as a beginner at everything so I won't hold any expectation when it will come to that. In fact, let's add ki control in your training program along with your black lightning."
"My black lightning too?"
"Of course, that black lightning is a powerful tool that will be very useful in the fight that will come in three days. While I managed to stop your attack, I still suffered some injuries so I know very well that it will be super effective against them."
"You do know that I can't control it, right?" Sakuya asked as he created some black sparks on the tip of his index finger before he winced as he felt a sting while Takemikazuchi nodded.
"It's because of that black lightning's side effects, I did some research about it after our first meeting and do you know what I found out?" Sakuya shook my head at the old man's question as he was clueless.
"In the past, there was an Evil Dragon who fought against the army of the deities, and it was said that he had the knowledge and control over a thousand magic spells with many of them being forbidden spells. He then fought the deities on his own until he was finally defeated by a hero, and was later sealed."
"Are you telling me that my black lightning is related to that dragon or rather, it was among the one thousand magic he knew and controlled?"
"That's right and it is one of the forbidden elemental magic spells that he created in order to fight against the deities." He answered while Sakuya was stupefied by his words before he looked at his hand where a few black sparks manifested themselves around.
"Although it was through my Sacred Gear, I never thought that I was using a forbidden magic…" He murmured under his breath before he was patted on the head by Takemikazuchi who gave him a sad smile.
"And I would say you were fortunate since the only drawback of that forbidden magic is that it only injures its user when used incorrectly."
"How is that fortunate?"
"Among the others forbidden spells' drawbacks, some of them can shorten your lifespan or kill yourself." Takemikazuchi answered while Sakuya's skin slowly turned pale before he placed his hand over his mouth in shock.
"Yeah, I got really lucky. Well, they do say that a great power comes along with a high price…"
"Exactly. And while that magic is a powerful tool against deities, I would say it's impossible for you to completely master that forbidden spell until the peace talk given the short amount of time we got. However, what we can do is to make your body strong enough to at least tolerate the side effects so we're going to cheat a bit."
"What do you mean by cheating?"
"By using your ki, you can strengthen both your internal and external bodies which will help you tolerate your black lightning's side effect on your body and protect it to an extent." He said with a smirk while Sakuya hummed in understanding before he blinked when he saw Takemikazuchi stood up and looking in a certain direction.
"Ah, it looks like they arrived. Hey, over here!" Takemikazuchi said before he started to wave his arm while shouting while Sakuya raised his eyebrow in confusion.
"They?" He muttered before he looked in the same direction as Takemikazuchi where he saw Tsukuyomi who was accompanied by a fair-skinned young woman with long pink hair and green eyes. She wore a white kimono with pink outline, and she had a pink sash around her shoulders that floated behind her head.
"It's nice that you came, Sakuya-hime. I hope that we didn't bother you on your schedule." Takemikazuchi said once Tsukuyomi and the woman who he called Sakuya-hime reached them with several bags in their hands.
"No, it's fine. I already finished my job, and it's quite rare that you requested my help so I couldn't refuse."
"Even thought, I'm full of gratitude. Hey, kid. She's Konohanasakuya-hime, in short, Sakuya-hime. She's the Goddess of flowers and volcanoes, mainly the cherry blossoms and Mount Fuji. She will be helping us in your training as she's good at healing people's injuries and fatigue. That way, we will be able to train all day long and don't worry, as long as you don't die, she will be able to nurse you back to health."
"It's nice to meet you, please call me Sakuya-hime." The goddess said as she bowed her head to Sakuya before she gasped when she saw the injuries on his body.
"Oh my, you're filled with wounds. Please don't move so I can heal you." She said as she knelt by his side before her hands glowed in a gentle and green aura which soon covered his body.
"This is…" Sakuya muttered under my breath when he saw the injuries slowly disappearing from his body. However, what surprised him was that he also felt himself being strangely reinvigorated.
"I see, she's healing me by mixing Senjutsu with her healing magic. I thought as I widened my eyes when I felt two types of energy in the green aura that covered my body." He muttered as he stared at Sakuya-hime's hand before he heard Takemikazuchi cough next to him, attiring his attention.
"Hey, kid. It's nice that you are interested in her healing magic but you should at least introduce yourself." He said as he nudged the young man with his elbow, making him scratch his head in embarrassment.
"Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Sakuya, Hyoudou Sakuya. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sakuya-hime." He said as he bowed his head to her while she giggled before she started to pat his head.
"I see, you are also a Sakuya. Let's get along, okay?"
"Great! Now that Sakuya-hime and Tsukuyo are here, we can finally start the real training. Prepare yourself, young man because you're going to suffer non-stop during those three days before the meeting." Takemikazuchi said before he put his arm around Sakuya's shoulder who let out a long sigh.
"I don't really have a choice, don't I?"
"Nope, you don't. Alright, it's time to tortu… Hm, I mean train!" Takemikazuchi said with a smirk as his eyes started to shine with a golden light with Tsukuyomi which gave Sakuya chills while Sakuya-hime was clapping her hand with enthusiasm.
"Tomorrow is the grand day, I hope that Serafall-chan is prepared…" A lonely goddess murmured to herself as she climbed a mountain through a long staircase in the realm of the Shintō gods, Takamagahara.
"No, I know she will. She may be silly to the point of cosplaying like a magical girl, she's also extremely serious…" She muttered as she shook her head. And once she reached the top, she walked in the direction of a large shrine that was positioned at the center of the mountain's top. After she entered the shrine, she walked to the bathroom where she took with her a bucket full of hot water and some towels before she went in the direction of a certain room.
"Otou-sama, I have come for your bath." Amaterasu said after she knelt in front of the door before she heard a soothing voice coming from inside the room.
"Ah, Amaterasu. Please, enter." As soon she heard the order, Amaterasu opened it to see her father behind it as he was sitting down on a futon. He had pale skin and black shoulder length hair. He wore a black kimono with a long white kimono jacket with a pink and purple mist like pattern on it. However, the right side of his face and his right hand were both purple, and his skin looked like it was rotting.
"I'm sorry to always bother you with this."
"It's not your fault, Otou-sama. It was I who insisted that I should take care of you, and it's a little difficult for you to clean yourself up when you have trouble moving the right side of your body without feeling pain." Amaterasu said as she knelt next to her father before she helped him take off his kimono, allowing her to see that the right side of his body was as purple as his hands and face.
"What's wrong, Amaterasu? Do you perhaps find that body of mine repulsing?" Her father, Izanagi asked her when he felt her staring at him while she quickly shook her head at his question.
"No, Otou-sama, not at all."
"I sense some hesitation in your voice, my child. Please tell me what's in your mind."
"No, it's nothing important. I just wondered where you could have received that kind of wound but since you never liked to talk about it, I preferred to stay quiet." Amaterasu said as she wiped her father's back who hummed before he nodded.
"I see. While it is indeed something I don't like to talk about, I don't really mind."
"Really?"
"The reason why I never liked to talk about this injury is because I received this from my former wife, Izanami, when I tried to retrieve her from Yomi. I believe you know about the history between the two of us."
"Yes, I grew up listening to that story from others. When Izanami-sama died, Otou-sama went to Yomi in the hopes of retrieving her. However, she had partaken of food cooked in the furnace of the Underworld, rendering her return to the surface impossible. Nonetheless, Izanami decided to try to make a deal with the gods of the Underworld and asked Otou-sama to not look at her for the meanwhile which Otou-sama promised to not do. But despite that, Otou-sama betrayed his promise and lit up a fire, only to behold her in the form of a monstrous and hellish corpse through the reflection of your comb. To avenge her shame, she attempted to kill you, but Otou-sama managed to ran away from her and escape from Yomi before you quickly sealed the entrance with a boulder. In her rage, Izanami-sama vowed to kill a thousand of his people every day if you didn't remove the boulder while you retorted that a thousand and five hundred will be born every day." Amaterasu told the story while Izanagi softly chuckled before he shook his head.
"Those tales always made me laugh at how close they are from the real situation but also how wrong they are. While the first part was true, I didn't flee from Izanami but instead, I fought her in the realm of Yomi and this wound is something she inflicted on me during our fight, a curse that I was never able to purify until now."
"A curse? But it doesn't feel like one…" Amaterasu said as she looked at her father's body with narrowed eyes while he chuckled.
"This is only my interpretation as I've grown to think of that injury as a curse. No matter how much I purified myself, it wouldn't go away and it would never heal. I started to think that it exists through the bond that links me to Izanami, and that it was the representation of my sins." Izanagi said as he looked at his body with guilt before he let out a long sigh.
"Amaterasu, do not do anything rash or be driven by your emotions, or else, you will definitely regret it in the future."
"I understand but what about you, Otou-sama? Do you have some regrets in your life?"
"Indeed, I am. After all, I've made several mistakes during this life of mine. In the grief and anger over the fact that I lost my dear wife, I killed my newborn son with my Ame-no-Ohabari which I gave away to the God of the Bible because I considered that sword tainted and repulsive. And then, in my impatience, I broke the promise I made to my wife to not look at her, which led us to fight when I did because of my curiosity." Izanagi said before he looked at his cursed body and narrowed his eyes in disgust at the sight of his rotting right arm.
"Without any real choices as I somehow knew I couldn't win against both her and the monsters of Yomi that she managed to control, I decided to seal her away in the deepest part of Yomi, dooming her to eternal darkness and loneliness while I received this accursed curse which took away most of my divine power. There are still many things I could tell you, I'm afraid it will take all night. However, I want you to keep my advice close to your heart as every one of your actions will have several consequences behind them, and as a leader, you are holding the lives of many people in your hands." He said as he glanced back at his daughter who closed her eyes in thoughts before she softly nodded.
"Good… As long as you don't make the same mistakes I've made, I can rest easily with you leading our faction."
"Yes, please leave it to me, Otou-sama." Amaterasu said to her father who softly nodded before he looked at the moon with a serene expression.
Meanwhile, in another part of Takamagahara, Takemikazuchi was looking at the same moon while drinking some sake on the porch of Tsukuyomi's house. As he looked at the moon in silence, he smiled when he felt someone approaching him from behind.
"Yo, Tsukuyo. Wanna drink with me? The moon is beautiful tonight." He said as he lifted his bottle while he heard a scoff from his friend who sat beside him.
"You know I don't like alcohol." He said, making Takemikazuchi chuckle before he nodded with a smile.
"Yep. So, how is the kid?"
"Asleep, I put him in my room."
"I see. Well, I'm not really surprised. We spent those three days training non-stop like crazy, the only moments when he was willing to stop was for eating or sleeping where he was healed by Sakuya-hime. If anything, I'm quite surprised by his stamina and willpower. What about Sakuya-hime?"
"She left after she finished healing the boy." Tsukuyomi answered Takemikazuchi who nodded once again before they both looked at the moon in complete silence for several minutes until the former decided to talk.
"You got something on your mind."
"Hm… It's nothing really important. I was just thinking of tomorrow, Tsukuyo. The peace talk, the rebels, and how the world and our lives will change from now on."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know if you noticed yet but I think you don't since you aren't that interested about the world…" Takemikazuchi said before he started to tease Tsukuyo who frowned and slapped him on the head in retaliation, making the old man smile before he started to talk.
"You see, until a few months ago, every mythologies never bothered to interact with each others and preferred to shun themselves in their own little world, but now, they all started to slowly change. The Three Factions of the Christian Mythology had been archenemies between each other ever since their creations, however they managed to create an alliance and became allies, something that was unimaginable in the past or even blasphemous in the eyes of their own believers and some of their members." Takemikazuchi said as he glanced at the sleeping Sakuya while taking a sip of his sake before he continued to talk.
"It is the same thing with the Norse Mythology, they started to interact with the other pantheons despite their religion forbidding them from doing so, a rule that their chief god Odin broke when he decided to interact with both us and the Biblical Faction, and then joined the alliance. And now, Ama-chan is planning to do the same, something that will greatly change our little world…"
"We're slowly getting out of our shell."
"Yep, and these changes are suddenly appearing one after the other at a great speed, I wonder if it's because of the appearance of the Khaos Brigade and the dangers that they represent or it's because of the Biblical Faction who started to change first which incited the other mythologies to do the same…" Takemikazuchi said as he glanced at the sleeping Sakuya who groaned in his sleep when one of Tsukuyomi's white rabbits licked his cheek, making the two gods chuckle.
"It pains me a little that someone as young as Sakuya has to put his life on the line for something that we should have done a long time ago."
"We were stupid back then. But now, we're fighting for a better future, their future." Tsukuyomi said as he placed his hand on Takemikazuchi's shoulder who smiled in return before they both looked at the moon in the dark sky.
"What's wrong, Sakuya? You seems quite pensive those last few days." Florent commented as she sat behind me, leaning herself on my back while I shrugged my shoulders. After I feel asleep in Tsukuyomi's house, I went into my inner world where I would think about what Takemikazuchi taught me during those three last days.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking about my training, that's all."
"Training, training, you only have that word in your mouth. You should learn to also rest, Sakuya-sama. Or else, how will you be able to fight at your full strength if you are exhausted physically and mentally?" Clarent started to scold me while waving her finger while I let out a sigh and nodded.
"I know, you aren't the only one who keeps saying that to me that." I said as I remembered of Jeanne who would always scold me, and tried to force me to rest by any means. I have to say, she knows very well my weaknesses.
"Sakuya-sama, come here." Clarent said as she got me out of my thoughts, and I saw her patting her lap. And before I could say anything, she started to look at me with teary eyes which made me wince.
"Alright, but never use that look again… It's bad for my heart." I said, making Clarent smile widely when I placed my head on her lap while Florent snickered as she looked at me with a smirk.
"So, Sakuya-sama, I will listen to your troubles so don't hesitate to share them with me." Clarent said as she started to play with my hair while I raised my eyebrow at her. Are you my psychologist now?
"No, it's just that I still have trouble thinking about the 'becoming one with my sword', 'making it a part of my body'. I can't really grasp the idea…"
"I see. So this is what troubled you." Florent said while I hummed as I looked at Clarent who closed her eyes in thoughts.
"Hmm… I don't know how to explain it, but Sakuya-sama, you are already one with us."
"Eh?" I was really surprised by her answer that I didn't bother hide my shock which made Clarent chuckle.
"Sakuya-sama, have you forgotten that we are fused to your soul through your Sacred Gear? Our bodies, our powers, our entire beings are yours to command. In a way, we became a part of you just like you became a part of us, as if we were only a single being. In other words, you could say that we, your swords, became one with your body and soul." Clarent said as she looked straight into my eyes and placed her hand over my heart while I softly nodded.
"Remember what that old man said, Sakuya… Stop over thinking and try to act with your feelings, your instinct. We are now a part of you so you should instinctively know how to wield us as if we were an extension of your own body." Florent added as she crawled in our direction and touched my leg which gave me a chill.
"Or maybe you want us to become one in that way?" Florent said with a sultry voice as she started to straddle me, sitting on my crotch while Clarent gasped and I widened my eyes at her suggestion.
"I don't mind, you know. After all, we will be able to become closer than we are now…" She teased me as she traced her finger on my chest while looking at me from above with a smile, and somehow, I didn't hate it. But before I could say anything, Clarent pushed her sister away as she glared at her.
"What are you trying to do to Sakuya-sama, you vixen?!" She shouted before she hissed at Florent who smirked as she placed her hand on her chest.
"He wanted to know how to become one with us, so I made a suggestion. Don't tell me you got jealous of me when I proposed to be his partner?"
"N..No! Why should I be jealous of you?!"
"Maybe because I'm not ashamed of using my assets unlike you, my prudish sister."
"As expected, it soothes my mind…" I murmured as I watched Clarent and Florent fighting each other on the bed of lily flowers with a smile before I placed my hand over my heart.
"In the end, it comes to my instinct…"
"Alright, girls! We're here!" Serafall shouted as she reached the place for the peace talk, the Ise Grand Shrine with her escorts who were looking at their surroundings with curiosity.
"So, this is the Ise Grand Shrine. It's really big." Asia said as she looked at her surrounding with an amazed expression while Rossweisse nodded.
"It's the most sacred Shintō shrine in Japan after all. It's a shame that our first visit would be like that."
"Can I ask something, Leviathan-sama?"
"What is it, Jeanne-chan?"
"Is it really a good thing to have the meeting here? I mean, the shrine is quite close to the town, and I don't want to think what would happen if we were to destroy a part of it by mistake in our fights."
"Don't worry about that. We prepared some measures in order to protect both the town and the shrine, so you don't have to mind the collateral damage."
"That's great. I started to get worried if I somehow ended up destroying Ise by mistake." Xenovia said as she nodded to herself while her friends all looked at her with a deadpan expression.
"Well, you won't have to worry about that. Anyway, I will go see Amaterasu-chan. You girls can go and join the other Angels or search for Sakuya-chan." Serafall said to the girls who nodded before she went inside the shrine.
"Let's go search Sa-chan." Jeanne proposed to the girls who all nodded before they started to explore the shrine.
"Hey, look. It's Baraqiel-san. He's talking with Griselda-san." Irina said as she pointed to the duo who were talking with each other in the courtyard.
"Azazel-sensei did say that he will send him as a reinforcement. They must be the one in charge of the factions' troops, and are planning their strategy for what will come later." Rossweisse said as she observed the two persons with a thoughtful expression while Jeanne nodded.
"You may be right. We should leave them to their business for now, it would be bad if we bothered them in their discussion."
"Ah, I found Sakuya-san." Asia said as she pointed her finger in the direction of the shrine where Sakuya could be seen, sitting cross-legged on the porch with his eyes closed.
"Let's go see him." Jeanne said to the other girls who nodded before they walked in his direction. But before they could greet him, Sakuya suddenly opened his eyes which surprised them for a few seconds before they saw him smiling when his gaze landed on them.
"Ah, it's you girls. It's been a long time."
"Yes, it looks like you've been well, Sakuya-san." Asia said as she approached Sakuya before she hugged him while he returned it with a smile.
"Yeah, I could say the same for you girls too." Sakuya said as he looked at Jeanne and the other girls who were behind Asia.
"Hey, Sakuya-kun, what's with the new outfit? Are you changing your image?" Irina asked as she noticed he wasn't wearing the battle suit he was given by the Church. Instead, he was wearing a white kimono, a black hakama which has a white flower designs on it. He also wore a black haori with some lightning designs on it.
"Well, my clothes were ruined beyond repair during my training, so I was given that instead by them." Sakuya said before he pointed behind him where the girls saw Takemikazuchi and Tsukuyomi walking in their direction, and to their surprises, they wore the same outfit as Sakuya.
"Yo, kid. I see that you are with your friends." Takemikazuchi said while Sakuya nodded before he noticed that Jeanne and Rossweisse were looking at the two gods with curiosity.
"Sa-chan, who are they?"
Ah yes, you never met him. This is Takemikazuchi-san, the Shinto god of thunder and swords while this is Tsukuyomi-san, the Shinto god of the moon."
[Good evening.] The girls all said together as they bowed to the two deities who nodded before Takemikazuchi sported a grin on his face.
"Good evening, we heard about you from the kid. Did you know that he would say your names in his sleep?" He said as he ruffled Sakuya's hair who softly blushed before he scoffed and looked away.
"I don't…" He muttered, making Takemikazuchi laugh before he nudged Sakuya with his elbow.
"You don't have to be shy, you know? I would say it's a good thing, it shows that you missed them." He teased Sakuya who blushed a little harder while the girls giggled, except for Asia who was looking at the three men with a curious expression.
"Is there something wrong, young lady?" Takemikazuchi said as he knelt in front of Asia who started to blush before she played shyly with her fingers.
"Ah, no… I was just wondering why are you three wearing the same outfit?"
"Ah, this? It was something that I decided on the spot when I saw the state of my little disciple's outfit. I thought that a disciple should wear the same thing as his master. Aren't those outfits cool?" Takemikazuchi said as he placed his arms over Sakuya and Tsukuyomi's shoulders with a smile while the two other men sported a stoic expression.
"I don't really care since my outfit will change once I use my Balance Breaker."
"And I don't remember being Sakuya's master."
"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, you two. Isn't it cool that we got a matching outfit? And don't think I didn't notice how happy you were when you helped in his training those last three days, Tsukuyo."
"Instead of cool, I would say cute." Irina said while Jeanne snickered as she looked at the three men before her.
"Yes… Somehow, they look like a doting grandfather and his grumpy grandchildren."
"It looks like they placed the barriers." Takemikazuchi said when he noticed several barriers appearing as they surrounded the shrine and its surrounding.
"So this must be the measures that Leviathan-sama was talking about earlier." Xenovia muttered to herself before she widened her eyes in shock.
"Oh yes, there is something I wanted to ask."
"What's wrong, Xenovia?" Irina asked Xenovia who looked at Takemikazuchi who tilted his head in confusion.
"When we explored the shrine, I only saw angels and fallen angels around. Didn't the Japanese pantheon sent any troops?" She asked the old man who shook his head before he explained himself.
"No, we didn't. Since most of our enemies are rebels gods, there is a lot of chance of friendly fire between our ranks if we did sent our troops here. Also, it wouldn't be good if we had traitors among them too."
"I see. It make sense."
"Alright, I will go join Ama-chan. What about you guys?"
"We will remain here until the rebels come." Sakuya answered Takemikazuchi who walked away with Tsukuyomi behind me.
"So, what happened in Kuoh while I was away?"
After Sakuya reunited with the girls, they talked about several events that happened in Kuoh during the five days after they were separated such as the preparation for the school festival in Kuoh or the gift that Xenovia and Irina received from Michael .
"So, this is Excalibur…" Sakuya said as he looked at the golden sword in Xenovia's hand who nodded.
"I received it as a gift from Michael-sama. While it possesses all of its seven abilities, I can only use Destruction and Mimic for now. I still have trouble with the other ones." She said as Excalibur slowly changed form as it transformed into a golden version of Durandal.
"Meanwhile, Irina got herself a holy-demonic sword that Heaven managed to created after they studied Kiba's Balance Breaker."
"Even though it's only a prototype, it's not as strong as the original." Irina said as she showed her own holy-demonic sword with a sheepish smile while Sakuya nodded before he narrowed his eyes.
"Here they come…" He muttered as he looked up, confusing the girls who followed his gaze before they gasped when they saw multiple magic circle covering the dark sky, and several humanoid figures came out from them.
"Is that the rebels?" Asia asked while Jeanne nodded as she summoned her holy spear.
"It looks like it."
"Just like we thought, they managed to enter the barrier." Rossweisse said as she prepared herself to fight while Xenovia and Irina readied their swords.
"Hey, kid!"
"Takemikazuchi-san, is there something wrong?" Sakuya asked as he looked back to the shrine where he saw Takemikazuchi and Tsukuyomi walking in their directions.
"That girl, Levia-tan wanted me to give you those." Takemikazuchi said as he gave Sakuya two phoenix tears which he took with a smile.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing. Also, I want you to remember that you only got two shots without injuring yourself, so you shouldn't waste them away."
"I know, I'll only use them when necessary." Sakuya said while Takemikazuchi nodded before he flew in direction of the battlefield with Tsukuyomi following him after he gave Sakuya a thumb-up.
"What shots is he talking about, Sakuya-san?" Asia asked him as he went into his Balance Breaker state.
"You could say it's my trump card, you don't have to worry about it."
"Other than that, do you have a plan in mind, Sakuya-kun?" Irina asked him who nodded but before he could talk, Xenovia quickly interrupted him as she raised her hand.
"Wait, I've got one ready for that kind of situation." She said, surprising Asia and Rossweisse who looked at her with wide eyes while Irina, Jeanne and Sakuya only stared at her with a deadpan expression.
"Sure, I have a bad feeling about it but we're listening." Sakuya said to Xenovia who nodded with a smile.
"Great! So first, I'll charge the enemy from the front. Then, Irina, you'll also charge the enemy and take care of the one I left behind. And then, Jeanne will go and do the same thing…" She started to say before she was stopped by Irina who placed her hands over her mouth.
"Xenovia, why don't you think of something else that charging the enemy for once?"
"Alright, I'll summarize quickly what I have in mind. Irina and Xenovia, you two will go with me to the front line and we will destroy everything on our path. Asia and Rossweisse-san, you two will support us from behind and bombard everything with your magic. Jeanne, you will stay behind and protect both of them in case they are targeted by the enemies, especially Asia because of her Sacred Gear. Also, you can sent your dragon for it to eat our enemies." Sakuya said as he explained his plan while Jeanne placed her hand over her eyes and shook her head in exasperation.
"Sa-chan, why are you that obsessed with destruction and my Balance Breaker don't work that way."
"Putting the destruction aside, I'm fine with that plan." Rossweisse said while the other girls nodded as they all looked at Sakuya who nodded in return before he faced the battlefield. And then, his body manifested a white aura with blue electrical sparks around it, and his hair became spikier.
"Oh yes, before we go. Rossweisse-san, please take a tear in case Asia is hurt. Also, Irina too." Sakuya said as he gave the phoenix tears that Takemikazuchi entrusted to Rossweisse who nodded while Irina was unsure.
"Are you sure you don't want to keep it?"
"No, I will be fine. I still have a phoenix tear that Azazel gave me in Kyoto which I still haven't used yet. So, this tear will be for you and Xenovia in case any of you two are severely injured." Sakuya said as he took out a phoenix tear from his dimensional pocket while Irina nodded before she took the other tear with her.
"Okay, then I'll take it."
"Alright, let's go." Sakuya said before he flew in the direction of the battlefield with the girls following behind him.
"It has begun." Serafall said as she looked at the fight in the sky with Amaterasu who nodded by her side.
"Sorry for asking you to help me with the barrier, I wouldn't be able to create a resistant one alone."
"It's fine. I'm sure that the others will be able to do everything on their own, so have faith in them."
"Anybody who is brave enough to face my two swords, take a step forward!" Xenovia shouted as she took a stance with her two holy swords while Irina shook her head at her partner's actions when she saw that several enemies charged in their direction.
"Why must you provoke them like that? Well, it works well for me." She said before she used her power as Michael's ace, creating a giant holy tornado in the middle of her enemies, gathering and trapping them inside.
"Xenovia, your turn." Irina said to her partner who nodded before she raised both Durandal and Excalibur above her head. The two holy swords each began to radiate a dense holy aura which continued to increase, without any signs of stopping.
"Take this! Saber Extinction!" She yelled as she swung down her swords, unleashing a powerful blast in the form of a gigantic wave in direction of the tornado, destroying it and everything on its passage leaving nothing behind. At the sight of the destruction left behind Xenovia's attack, the magicians and gods started to fall back from the two girls who then pointed their swords at them.
"Do you really thing that…" "We will let you guys ran away?" The combo said in turn with a smile before they charged together at their enemies.
"Unlike what I expected, they don't give us that much of a challenge." Jeanne said as she shot several holy swords with her Sacred Gear while her Balance Breaker went after her opponents, blasting them off with several energy blasts or killing them by biting them to death.
"Yes, but it's not a reason to drop our guards. It may be a trap." She said as she manifested several magic circles which spewed out a frightening number of magical attacks, filling the sky as they fall in the direction of the gods and terrorists like a heavy rainstorm.
"Jeanne-onee-chan, is there something wrong?" Asia asked when she noticed the worried expression on her surrogate older sister as she assisted Rossweisse with her own magic spells.
"No, I was just looking at Sa-chan."
"Is there something wrong about Sakuya-kun?"
"No, it's just that he became stronger and faster since the last time we saw him. I wonder how much he trained to grow that strong those last few days…" Jeanne complained as she saw Sakuya, flying across the battlefield like a shooting star as he took down his enemies one by one at a high speed while Asia giggled.
"Knowing Sakuya-san, he must have trained until he's completely exhausted."
"Right… He better be prepared for a good scolding after that. He knows very well that I hate when he overworks himself like that."
As she watched the enemies falling one by one by their allies, Serafall could only let out a breath out of relief when she saw that all the enemies were nearly all taken care off.
"It looks like we got worried for nothing. Hm… Is there something wrong, Amaterasu-chan?" Serafall said before she noticed a frown on Amaterasu's face who seemed lost in her thoughts as she watched the fights in front of her.
"I don't know why but I have a bad feeling…" She said before she noticed something glowing from the corner of her eyes before she widened her eyes when she noticed it was a transportation circle.
"This is a transportation circle!" Amaterasu said as she and Serafall prepared themselves to fight in case it was an enemy. However, to their surprise, a bloodied Sakuya-hime came out from the magic circle before she fall on the ground.
"Sakuya-hime!" Amaterasu shouted as she ran to the bloodied woman's side before she started to heal her with her power.
"Those are major injuries. Just what happened to her?" Serafall said with a grim face as she inspected the wounds covering the woman's body while Amaterasu frowned.
"I don't know but those wounds are too severe, I won't be able to heal her completely." She said while Serafall quickly took out a phoenix tear from her pocket before she applied it to Sakuya-hime's wounds, healing them.
"Thank you, Serafall-chan. I owe you one."
"It's fine, I only did what you would have done in my place. Look, she's opening her eyes!" Serafall said as she shook her head before she noticed that Sakuya-hime weakly opened her eyes.
"Amaterasu-sama…"
"I'm right here. What happened to you, Sakuya-hime?"
"Amaterasu-sama, there is a mutiny in Takamagahara… you must go back quickly…" Sakuya-hime slowly said but the news that she delivered to Amaterasu and Serafall only gave them a terrible feeling in their guts.
Izanagi couldn't help but feel anger as he looked over Takamagahara, the Shintō Heaven that was currently burning in fire as chaos and destruction was propagated across the celestial realm. But as he took a deep breath in order to calm down, he frowned when he saw a young man climbing the long stairway that led to his home.
"I'm not surprised to see that you are the one responsible for this chaos, you were a troublemaker ever since you were born." Izanagi said as he looked with disdain at the young man who sported a sadistic smirk on his face as he tapped a black sword on his shoulder. He possessed a lean body, green spiky hair, yellow eyes, and he wore a black bodysuit and a hakama.
"I aim to please, old man. And I have to say, I'm quite pleased with the results." He said as he sent several dark green energy blasts with his sword at Izanagi who narrowed his eyes before he took a deep breath.
"Scatter!" He suddenly shouted before the energy blasts were instantly blown away by a powerful gust, making the young man whistle.
"As expected of you, you can still use high-grade sound magic. I have to say, that was quite impressive given your current strength, old man." He said while Izanagi scoffed before he stared at the person in front of him with narrowed eyes.
"While I did got weaker over the years, I'm still strong enough to take you down. But first of all, tell me why are you doing all this? Just what is your goal?"
"Why you ask. Well, I have several reasons in mind but I'll tell you only a few of them. For one, I just find peace boring, death and fear only excite me in this world. Second, I just hate the fact that I was born only to be subjected to that woman so I decided to destroy anything that she holds dear. Do I need to continue?"
"No, there is no need to say more. I can already say that you never grew up of your hatred for your sister and you're doing all of this to get back at her, how petty of you."
"You shouldn't be surprised, old man. After all, the only things that I value in this world are freedom, destruction and my mother."
"Your mother… Even now, you are still obsessed with her even though it's impossible for you to even speak or see her? I sealed her deep in Yomi and as long as I live, nobody but dead people are able to enter that realm because of the seals I placed at the entrance." Izanagi said as he shook his head in disappointment while the young man before him chuckled, much to Izanagi's confusion.
"Impossible, you say? I'll teach you something nice, old man… The word 'Impossible' doesn't exist in my vocabulary, and that there is nothing impossible in this world!" He shouted as a black aura coated his body which made Izanagi widen his eyes before he pointed at it with a shaking finger.
"That power…?! It's impossible, how can you possess a part of her power?"
"It's because I'm her lovely son, of course. And just like every great mother in the world, she gave me this awfully nice present even though it isn't my birthday today when I informed of my plan! Ahahahaha!"
"But how?! I can still feel the presence of my seals in Yomotsu Hirasaka, she shouldn't be able to interact with the outside world!" Izanagi shouted in shock while the young man before him kept laughing maniacally as he couldn't help but to find the cursed man's reactions amusing.
"Heh heh heh… Hahahahaha! If this is what you think, you're dead wrong, old man! While that fucking barrier of yours was a pain in the ass, we still managed to get contact each other since a long time ago! Why do you think I stayed in Izumo all this time after you banished me from Takamagahara for upsetting that idiot of Amaterasu?" He said with a chuckle while Izanagi sighed before he took several talismans from his kimono's sleeves.
"I should have killed you instead of exiling you back then. I guess this is another one of my multiple mistakes…" Izanagi said as he took a stance while the young man snickered as he did the same with his black sword.
"Sorry but it's too late for regrets now, Izanagi. While I would have liked to kill you with my own power, I decided it would be too bad for Okaa-sama if she didn't get her revenge on you, even if it's indirectly. Takegami… Engage!" He shouted as a white heavy armor appeared out of thin hair and covered his shoulders, abdomen, upper legs, and feet while a completely white mask with no features or visor covered his face.
"I am strength, I am power, I am everything!"
He started to chant before a black aura coated and obscured his whole body, leaving only a silhouette behind. Izanagi could do nothing but to watch as he felt his power increase, and he could see his body became bigger and bulkier through the dark aura.
"My very being is the sword of the god that will destroy all existence!"
And once the young man said those words, the black aura dissipated away and Izanagi widened his eyes at his enemy's new appearance which he couldn't help to compare to a wolf… no, an oppressing beast that towered him which made the primordial god felt small compared to him.
The white sheen of his armor were now pitch black, and his mask featured now a face with glowing green eyes and a large grin lined with sharp teeth. His hands now possessed large claws on the end of his nails, and on each shoulder, he wore a shoulder pad shaped the same way as his mask. His hair became untamed, longer, and was as deep black as the rest of his body where large vibrant lines of green were present throughout it, extending from his ankles to his the tips of his hair. However, what caught his attention was the sword in the beast's hands. The black sword he possessed was now a giant green and black one which was as big as his body.
"I am Takehaya Susano'o-no-Mikoto! The end has come!"
DxD Chibi: Kunou's mistake
A little after Sakuya decided to leave after he discovered that Serafall was drunk, he was stopped by a little princess who wanted to give him something.
"Sakuya, wait!" As he heard her scream, he stopped in his tracks before he turned back to see her running after him.
"Here, take this with you. It's a little present for spending some time with me, I made it myself." She said with a little blush as she took something out from her kimono's sleeve and presented to him. It was a Japanese amulet which Sakuya took with a smile.
"Thank you, Kunou. I'll take good… What?" He said before he noticed that the amulet started to glow with a bright light which enveloped his body and when it ceased, Kunou gasped as Sakuya's appearance had changed. He now possessed nine brown tails behind his back while two ears appeared on the top of his head, just like a kyuubi.
"Eh? What the…" Sakuya said before he noticed the change in his body and started to touch them after he placed Serafall on the ground.
'I gave him the wrong one but…' Kunou thought as she noticed that instead of the 'Kanai Anzen' amulet she had crafted for Sakuya, she gave him a 'Transformation' amulet she crafted on a whim after she thought about Sakuya's appearance if he was a youkai like her.
"But I don't regret it…" She muttered with a giggle before she heard some footsteps coming from the mansion's entrance so she looked back to see that it was her mother, Yasaka.
"What's going on? We heard a loud noise outside. Ah…" She started to say before she froze when she saw Sakuya who was playing around with his tails.
Living beings live true to their instincts, be it humans, animals or supernatural beings. And it was at this moment, Yasaka's animal instincts kicked in as she stared at the being in front of her.
"Sakuya, I think you should run." Kunou commented as she observed her mother licking her lips while Sakuya blinked in confusion.
"Why's that… Ha." He asked before he froze when he saw Yasaka and unconsciously took a step back from her. He couldn't help but to shiver in fear as the woman… no, the Beast in front of him stared at him with wide eyes that eyed him like a piece of meat and a large smile that screamed for feast. He could feel it with the wild instincts written deep into his genes that the being who was standing before him was the one at the top of all lifeforms, a predator.
And as the two beings stared at each other for a few seconds which seemed to be the last several agonizing hours for both parties, they both decided to act as their instincts instructed them to do.
"NIGERUNDAYO!" "FOR THE HUNT!"
A/N: And that was the 38th chapter of Hallowed Blade.
I wanna say thank you all for the reviews and a great thank you again to Darklord331 for beta reading my chapter.
Although there weren't too many fights in this chapter, the next one will be full of action.
Trivia: Kokūjin: Raizanshou – Empty Sky: Lightning Strike
Takegami – Divine Warrior
And now, I shall answer your reviews.
Big money mike: Depending on the length of my chapters, I would say at least three or four chapters.
Lazyguy90: Thank you.
Kept123: Thank you.
Saint-Leiker: Thank you.
Guest1: No problemo.
Gustavomedrano29: I'm back!
Blaze2121: As hard to read as always, but I kinda missed it. Regarding Kunou's biological father, it will be explained in the future. And regarding fighting gods, I will leave it to your imagination who he will fight.
RezaAlive: There is a proverb among artists that say that if you lose a day of practice, it takes three to get back feels for things. And I really felt that my skill became worse after two months of break.
TehStorm: Sakuya possess 10 wings only in his Balance Breaker for now, and his true power will truly be revealed in the future chapters.
As for my other stories, I decided to delete Flame of Charity because I received several PM asking me to continue it so I took a decision to stop them from coming. Also because I lost all the files regarding that story when my old laptop broke down, and I don't remember the plot I wanted to write at all.
Mighty Magneto: Maybe she will be the next one, who knows? And yes, it's slowly heading there.
Harrison Aldrich Emrys: Yep, she did.
Srikar.a: Thank you.
JakeWJElliot2: Thank you. As for your suggestion, I prefers writing a story about Yugioh (either GX or 5D's) than Pokemon (I can't think of a descent plot for a story on that anime).
But I have another project in mind I would like to do before that (Sakuya's adventure in the Nasuverse as a Servant) so it will have to wait.
OechsnerC: Thank you. Let's say that dragons are possessives of their treasures, Ophis isn't an exception.
Dragonfighter11: Thank you.
NazgulBerserion: Well, he has no hatred regarding his father like Mordred so no Blood Arthur. Maybe a parody with Clarent XXX XXX will appear as a reference.
As for Sakuya being dense, he isn't really someone who think that much about romance which isn't one of his forte. And be it his previous or current life, he never dated anybody until Xenovia's declaration during the Kuoh Treaty so he doesn't have any experience in that domain.
Also, Sakuya doesn't considered himself as a good boyfriend material so he doesn't really highly think of himself. While he can see when people are showing affection to others but when it is directed at him, he doesn't notice them. If someone was to confess to him, his first thought would be 'Why me?'
How many? I'll leave it to your imagination. Will those 5 join him? I'll leave the future chapters answer in my place.
Exodus12345: I'll leave it to your imagination. About the lemon book, I will post it again in the near future. I deleted it by accident.
Middernacht: I found it funny so I decided to make an omake based on it.
Lord Socras: Senjutsu only corrupt the user when he's controlling his surrounding's ki and absorb it into his body to power-up himself, something that he was warned and forbidden to do by Yasaka during his training. As long he doesn't do it, he won't have any risks with corruption so it's fine.
an xx rated ghoul: Yes, it is.
Gean Marco Chasin Medina: The chapter 18 is still there.
Guest2: For now, the confirmed one are Gabriel, Xenovia, Asia, Jeanne, Irina, Serafall, Yasaka. There will be others who will come in the future but I will keep them secret for now.
Piddle: Thank you, and when Issei wasn't an embarrassment.
Saberfang Orcalodon: Sakuya's fatherhood power is over 9000, Kunou couldn't resist when opposed to it.
Na2s: Thank you. While Kuroka is interested in Sakuya because of Ophis's relation with him, if she's going to be in his harem or not, please wait for the future chapters.
Alexandre Xandi: Sorry but Kunou is 12 despite her maturity. In the volume 22 in the LN, Kunou enrolled in Kuoh Academy as a first-year middle school student which are around the age of 12. Accidentally, the only persons I know who are one year below than Koneko are Le Fay and Bennia who both enrolled as first-year high school students in the new year term after Rias and Akeno graduated from high school.
Kept123: I'm doing my best to give good chapters the fastest possible so please be patient.
Gean Marco Chasin Medina: Thank you and no, Sakuya won't use Mordred's Noble Phantasm. I don't really want to use many things from the Nasuverse since I may write a story with Sakuya as a servant, Clarent and Florent being an exception but since they fused both fused together with his Sacred Gear, creating a unique new sword in the process, I consider it safe.
Also, Sakuya already have several attacks similar to Mordred's Noble Phantasm so there is no need for him to have that NP. He dislike that NP anyway since originally, it change Clarent's normally pure and beautiful form into that of a sinister and wicked blade befitting a demon, a demonic sword of calamity because of Mordred's hatred for her father.
Guest3: Thank you. Recently, I lost all my files related to my stories when my old laptop broke down so I don't have anything for the Flames of Charity, and some people didn't understand that I put the story in hiatus and assaulted me with PM asking me to continue. I decided to simply delete the story.
HeWhoHatesYaoi: Thank you for the advice, I'll try to keep that in mind. I use a grammar checkers to check any typos or mistakes and I leave my beta-reader fix the rest if there is anything bad left, but I guess even he couldn't fix everything.