Good Evening All!
I do hope this weekend has been treating you well thus far. Thank you for those that reviewed last week! I do read all of them, and input from the audience is always appreciated.
Good news for all you sword and shield clangers; you will not be disappointed this chapter.
Not much to say up here; will put a few notes at the end for clarification of a few items.
Please ignore any spelling/grammar mistakes you come across.
Please do enjoy yourself :)
The two combatants broke the sword lock as they flashed to opposite sides of the room, facing off.
"This won't do." Andromalius smirked and snapped his fingers.
Instantly they were transported to a massive battlefield on a barren plain. Sasuke's eyes widened as his Dojutsu confirmed what he had already suspected; this was no illusion.
"Impressive right? Normally traveling through time and space is a bit much for even we 72 Lords, but I'm a special case."
Sasuke surveyed the chaos dispassionately. It was not the first war he had witnessed, and likely would not be the last. A clanging fervor arose from the far end of the massive plain as the three groups joined battle, magical swords clashing against enchanted armor in a mighty wave of sound.
"Quite the mess isn't it? Behold, the final battle of the great war between the three factions."
Andromalius smirked at Sasuke's concerned frown.
"Don't worry, our ability to affect the outcome of events is restricted by the limitations of dimensional travel. While we are "here", no one else can see or interact with us in our current state."
Sasuke looked puzzled.
"Beelzebub assured me that the pendant would only bring cosmetic changes and alter my energy output. Instead I find myself locking swords with a supposedly deceased Devil Lord after being transported back in time."
Andromalius snorted.
"Like all geniuses, he has begun to fall into the trap of thinking that he knows everything and is never wrong. He underestimates the power of the Original Devil Lords; no doubt he bases his estimates on the current 'Lords'."
His lip curled in distaste.
"Needless to say, the blood has become far more diluted than it was millennia ago. We who were once barely below the first demons have become a shadow of our former selves. But that is not why we are here; we are here to decide who is going to rule that body of yours."
Sasuke tightened his grip on the katana at his side.
"You will not be the first body snatcher I have put down for trying to take what did not belong to him."
Andromalius looked surprised.
"Really? You must have lived quite the life to have already met and defeated a body snatcher at your age. I can't wait to take the story from your mind once I take over this vessel."
Done speaking, Sasuke immediately went on the offensive.
"Banshō Ten'in!"
Andromalius looked surprised as his body began rapidly moving towards Sasuke's waiting katana.
Slamming his feet down, the Devil Lord resisted the gravitational pull even as he made a gesture of his own.
"I AM NEVER ALONE, FOR MY LEGIONS ARE ALWAYS WITHIN ME!"
With a roar, a horde of Devils were summoned to the battle as Sasuke grimaced. He could not fight this Devil Lord and all his summons at once.
It was time to get serious.
"Shinra Tensei!"
The horde bellowed in alarm as a massive wall of force smashed into them, leveling the entire plain for miles into the distance. Surprisingly, the distant fighting was not affected by this; if Sasuke had to guess, he would say that this dimensional ability was similar to Kamui in its ability to disdain interaction with three-dimensional reality when called upon.
All his enemies were crushed under either the sheer force of the telepathic shove or the mountain of debris. All enemies, save for an amused Devil Lorde that stood amidst the carved-out bowl of destruction with his arms crossed.
"Not bad human, not bad at all. I expected you to attempt fighting my horde and be practically finished by the time we actually joined battle. This is much more preferable."
Faster than thought, the two figures flickered and met in the middle of the destroyed plain with a titanic clash. As the two swords strove against each other, neither figure clearly had the upper hand.
"YES YES! This is what I have needed! Come human, entertain me more!" The golden figure roared.
"Susanoo!"
A familiar indigo figure emerged around Sasuke as the Devil Lord chuckled and moved some distance away while created a magic symbol in the air.
Sasuke began to draw back Susanoo's bow for a charged shot even as Andromalius finished chanting.
A huge bolt of indigo energy from Susanoo's bow met Andromalius's Scarlet spell in the middle of the plain and blanked out the world for a few seconds.
As the carnage cleared, both figures remained standing in the exact same position they fired in.
Grinning, Andromalius whispered to the snake coiled around his body, even as it detached from him and began to grow. Soon, a towering Serpent appeared to Rival Susanoo in size as it slithered hungrily towards Sasuke.
Sasuke bit his finger and slammed it down.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
A massive Cobalt blue serpent appeared that dwarfed the black snake even as Andromalius looked on with chagrin.
Huge scales shifted as the summons' head lowered to address Sasuke.
"Sasuke-sama! I thought never to see you again my lord; we believed you were expired from your mortal coil. How is it that you are young again, and in such a strange place?"
Sasuke briefly chuckled.
"All will be revealed in time Aoda; I was unsure if I would be unable to summon you in this universe, but I am glad to be proven wrong. I could use your assistance old friend."
Sasuke had never cared for Manda, the old snake haughtily demanding human sacrifices for each summoning. He always suspected that the practice fed into Orochimaru's own sick pleasures, which was why the man never sought a superior snake to become boss.
Sasuke had been pleased to discover a loyal companion in Aoda; the huge snake was more than a match for Manda in terms of size and venom, but was humble to a fault. He frequently addressed Sasuke as "My Lord" and refused tribute of any kind for his service. He had once saved Sarada from an early death, a priceless service that had granted the summon an honorary place in Sasuke's small family.
Absently stroking the huge cobalt scales, Sasuke was snapped back to reality as Aoda replied.
"Of course my Lord, I presume you wish me to dispose of that filth that dares attack you?"
The black snake hissed in contempt, to which Aoda hissed back angrily.
"I would be grateful old friend; I have business to attend with its master."
Without another word, Aoda gave a challenging hiss and began to slither rapidly towards his opponent. The two snakes locked coils as they wrestled for position, both sets of fangs poised to strike at any weakness.
Their masters were not idle either; Sasuke began making hand signs as he ran towards Andromalius.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!"
The Golden figure frantically began his own spell casting motions as the towering wave of flame rapidly approached him.
With a shout of effort, the devil used what Sasuke could only assume was advanced air magic to send a massive hurricane of air underneath the fire, channeling the combined technique straight up. The extra fuel turned the already overpowered fire technique into a miniature sun as it scorched the abused earth beneath it into glass and roared off like a huge dragon into the sky.
Sasuke smirked at the golden figure.
"I thought Devils didn't burn, yet I see that is clearly untrue."
Andromalius sneered at Sasuke as he healed the minor burns in an instant.
"Part of me wants to draw this out as long as possible given my constant boredom, but a larger part of me now wants to crush you. Maybe I'll play with your corpse for a while afterwards to entertain myself."
As Andromalius raised his hands, the entire area went dark as the abyss. Sasuke tensed as he waited for the inevitable attack, reinforcing Susanoo with more chakra. A Scarlet lance of crackling energy whizzed through the air, impacting on Susanoo with massive force.
The explosion was incredible.
Both snakes were dissolved in an instant; the black snack going back to its incorporeal form while Aoda was sent back to the summons realm.
Storm clouds gathered overhead as the battle changed both the land and the weather in its insatiable fervor.
As the dust settled, Sasuke stood tall as a wispy Susanoo dissipated, his defenses barely strong enough to survive the attack.
"I am impressed indeed; not many can withstand my Ruby Lance, much less without a scratch on them. I sense though that much of your power was used blocking that blow; such a shame."
"I won't need any chakra for what comes next."
The thunder rumbled overhead ominously as Andromalius suddenly noticed a huge sinister face staring at him from the thickest clouds. Before he could react, Sasuke made a downward slashing motion.
"COME, KIRIN!"
There was a flash of light as the massive lightning beast impacted on the harshly abused land, right before a deafening thunderclap threw Sasuke into a crouch. Glass shattered as the abused ground was cratered even further, leaving a deep pit on what was once flat land.
Sasuke observed the smoking crater briefly before addressing the gaping wound in the earth.
"You know, I had hoped that would finish you. Unfortunately, it appears that Kirin is once again wasted on my opponents' strongest defense."
Chuckling came from out of the deep pit.
"I wouldn't feel too bad about it; only one other opponent has forced me into sacrificing my armor. My armor's destruction allows me a brief period of near invulnerability, at the cost of my defense."
"Who was the other to break your armor?"
"God."
Sasuke's eyebrows raised together.
"No, I wasn't dueling God, it's not like I have an insta-death wish. All 72 of us together were enough to match him, however briefly. His closing attack killed most of us, even as our attack ended him."
"God is dead?"
Andromalius emerged from the pit, naked as the day he was born and scratching his head to remove the falling ash.
"Well now that's an interesting question; personally, I suspect the old codger is kicking around somewhere regaining his strength. But who knows? Apparently, it's all a big secret now that gets passed on to the current faction leaders. He definitely hasn't been seen in an awful long time, and Heaven has had to run its own shop for a while now.
But yes, it was his final attack that I was forced to use my armor against. Even with my armor's incredible properties, I was barely alive after the wave of light utterly annihilated most of us."
Sasuke assumed a ready stance as Andromalius approached.
"No Sasuke, stay your blade. You have proven your worth to me; I am proud to call you my successor."
Sasuke continued to hold his blade towards Andromalius as the Devil Lord smirked at his mistrust.
"What does that mean exactly? I have never understood everything regarding the claiming of Pillars in Devil Society."
"Well, technically you are the first of your kind anyways so the usual rules don't apply. Only another Devil has inherited a Devil Lords mantle before; for a human to do so would have been laughable up until this point.
In practice though, the last Lord of a line was able to pass on the family name to one not of the blood if he was deemed worthy. As a final gift, the Lord would use his remaining life force to grant the powers of the bloodline to the successor, effectively continuing the house past it's last successor by birth. Due to the final battle, many houses had no remaining members to pass on the mantle. This led to many houses dying out completely, as mine did. Which brings us to this unusual circumstance we find ourselves in."
Andromalius paused to make sure had Sasuke's full attention before continuing.
"Beelzebub sought to create a pendant through my blood that would allow your power to convert into mine, no doubt to fool other Lords into believing you to be my successor. What he didn't count on was the sentient nature of the very blood he sought to use. We Pillar Lords are remarkably close to divinity, even if we lack their vaunted true immortality."
Sasuke looked skeptical.
"How have no other Devils figured this out yet? Shouldn't there be a clamoring for them to summon you using your blood in order to gain your power?"
Andromalius chuckled darkly.
"Our blood is not easily come by, and is considered a priceless commodity even among those who fail to grasp it's true value. For those few that do understand, the brave minority of that small group that choose to summon us are typically found wanting in our inheritance testing."
"Have any other Devils successfully completed the ritual?"
"Not in a long time, and very few times successfully overall. The usual result is that their soul is consumed for their foolishness."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"Glad to know I risked my soul so flippantly; I will be having words with Beelzebub about this." Sasuke cracked his knuckles thoughtfully.
"Far be it from me to stand in the way of such glorious violence; before you go though, I assume you are willing to become the successor to my house?"
Sasuke nodded.
"So long as I am able to remain human, I will."
"You will be both fully human and fully Devil Lord."
Sasuke smirked.
"I'm not as into biology as my old master was, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that."
"Unless of course you are using a reality altering force to accomplish such a thing known as 'magic' that allows you to throw all the typical rules out the window." Andromalius retorted sarcastically.
Sasuke looked at him askance.
"You will have to switch between your two forms at will. With practice, you will be able to do so with little effort and energy. For now though, that shoddy pendant will work as a crude catalyst to facilitate the change until you can master it."
Sasuke shifted in place as the fighting continued in the distance.
"Well then, one final thing before you return to your time. Kneel."
Sasuke looked to him in blatant disbelief.
"Yes yes, normally this would be an elaborate ceremony but you're impatient and I'm naked, so let's hurry this along."
Noting Sasuke's suspicious stare, Andromalius rolled his eyes.
"If I wanted to kill you, I would do so in battle; I would never sully my name by being known as the 72nd Devil Pillar Lord that was forced to resort to trickery against a human."
Sasuke stood before him, face to face.
"If you want to give me your power, you can do it while I'm standing."
Andromalius threw up his hands.
"This whole thing is so ludicrously informal anyways, why not!"
Placing his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, Andromalius poured his essence into the grimacing Sasuke as the two bowed their heads in shared agony.
"There, it's done!"
Sasuke gasped as power coursed through his veins, making his blood boil.
Andromalius smirked as Sasuke slumped to the ground in agony.
"Yes, it did slip my mind to mention that this part is excruciatingly painful; the body is being completely remade after all. I will remain here in this time until you gain the strength to summon my shade to you. Do learn fast, won't you? I've already spent far too long on my own as it is."
Sasuke awoke in the Occult research room with his head nestled in a soft perch. As his eyes opened, he saw a worried pair of aqua blue eyes framed by a scarlet mane peering down at him.
"Rias, pleasant as this is, please help me get up so I can properly thank Beelzebub."
Sasuke was helped to his feet by a disappointed Rias; he supposed she expected more of a reaction from him for putting his head in her lap. Sasuke hated to break it to her, but she would have to try much harder than that to drive Sasuke to either lust or embarrassment.
Sasuke froze as he caught a reflection of himself in a nearby wall mirror. His long raven hair had turned to the finest gold as it cascaded down his back in a wave. His features looked a bit more finely chiseled, if he was honest with himself. His eyes were now a warm ruby color instead of an onyx black.
Beelzebub looked inordinately pleased with himself.
"Simply marvelous! I can feel your Devil aura from here; completely unrecognizable from a true Devil Lord's. How do you feel?"
Sasuke turned and gave him a flat look.
"Not so bad, considering that I just put my soul on the line without prior knowledge of its requirement."
Everyone in the room looked at him like he had grown another head.
"Sasuke-san, you put on the pendant and changed instantly; what are you talking about?" Rias asked him softly, obviously concerned for his mental state.
Sasuke remained fixated on Beelzebub.
"It appears that you truly had no idea; I don't know whether to be shocked at your ignorance or appalled at your lack of foresight."
Beelzebub began to look increasingly irate.
"What are you going on about boy? The pendant did exactly as I designed it to, the tricky part will now be matching your techniques with the original Lord's. Not much is written on Andromalius, but I will consult the Book of Pillars for more infor-"
Sasuke manifested a crackling lance of pure Ruby Energy in his right hand.
"That won't be necessary."
Beelzebub looked utterly gobsmacked.
"The Ruby Lance! How is it that you are able to instantly recreate the signature technique of the Andromalius Pillar? The pendant should have only given you the ability to create Devil Lord energy, not the knowledge of their most prized techniques!"
Suddenly Beelzebub turned ivory white as he pointed to Sasuke's right hand.
"Is that what I think it is?"
Everyone in the room locked similarly floored as they looked to the back of Sasuke's right and saw the glowing magical symbol there.
"The mark of the Pillar Lord, passed on to the Head of each House down through the ages." Lione breathed in awe.
Sasuke took the pendant off, yet the mark remained even as his features went back to normal.
"Well, this certainly changes things." Beelzebub said in shock.
Author's note: Aoda is a real summon, check it out on Narutopedia. For the Ruby Lance, picture Ulquiorra's Lanza Del Relampago from Bleach, only as Vermilion Red instead of the original Emerald Green.