Disclaimer: I do not own Campione or any of its characters. I only own my OC's

Chapter 21

The prisoner of the Netherworld looked out from the bars of his cell, taking in all the nonexistent details that lied just beyond his imprisonment. Many of the beings that had taken to living within the Boundary between Life and Immortality would often claim that they were never able to tell any difference between this place and anywhere else within this seemingly infinite space, thinking that it was always a little bit different no matter how many times they looked. He would have to disagree with that statement.

After having starred at almost nothing else but the same scenery for thousands of years had he gotten accustomed with the pattern that the world changed constantly at. He could foretell exactly what part would be a specific shade between grey and white at any time at this point, so much so that one of his only ways of passing the time was just a bore nowadays.

With a motion that spoke of countless hours of practice, ripped he out the chain that connected him to the wall to his left, before throwing it up towards the ceiling without looking. It got stuck at one particular part of the cave's top, a small indention giving it a shape somewhat resembling that of a hook, which allowed the chain to get caught. As the other end of the chain returned caught he it effortlessly with his other hand.

Still sitting, pulled he himself upward with the chain, lifting himself off the ground with seemingly minimal effort, his legs still in the same position as he hovered in mid-air. His legs settled effortlessly onto the ground as he stretched them out to their full length, making contact with the stone floor perfectly, neither needing to bend his knees or lower himself in the slightest.

"Your visits have been somewhat more frequent as of late, Princess. Is there any reason that you decide to repeatedly grace me with your presence?"

Sure enough, sitting just on the other side of the iron bars was the youthful figure of his most frequent visitor, beating out that of even his supposed keeper. She sat there unmoving as her brown eyes studied him, having no trouble to discern him through the darkness that obscured him to those with lesser eyesight.

There was nothing but silence between them, neither picking the conversation back up. The continuing silence could only be described as deafening, as the Netherworld was already devoid of any other ambient sounds that could potentially have occured. There was no wind to blow, nor any water to flow. And there was a distinct lack of other living creatures besides those of the trancenced kind, removing the possibility of smaller animals making any sounds to fill the empty atmosphere.

"Is your goal still the same? Are you gonna keep your promise once you get out?" Therefore cut the next words through the silence like a knife, next to impossible to not hear.

The white haired man sat down in front of the bars, just opposite to the brown haired goddess. His gaze unwavering as he looked into her eyes of brown glass. "Not once since I was locked inside this prison, from the moment that your husband and his forces brought death and carnage to me and my family, have my goals ever wavered. I promised you that he would pay for everything he has ever done, not only to you and me, but to everyone else that he has hurt."

The brown haired goddess smiled, her arm stretching out so that her pinky finger passed through the gaps in the bars, but not too far. The man did the same with little hesitation, encircling her smaller pinky finger with his far larger one. His grip was however very light and didn't feel the least bit constrictive.

"It is a funny thing. To know that someone that with the power to destroy anything before them, is capable of having a softer side as well. It almost makes me envious." the goddess was looking down at their interlocked fingers, as if perplexed by both of their actions. "It is still hard to believe that I would allie myself with the enemies of my husband, but after what his brother did to me, you, and your wife, feel I that it is only fitting that he pays for those actions-"

The young looking goddess suddenly felt herself being yanked towards the bars of prison, the man's grip on her finger suddenly being a lot tighter. Looking up at the man in shock saw she the underlying fury that was barely hidden inside his golden eyes, sparking like brilliant lightning that would evaporate anything that got caught in their path.

She, unlike most others didn't fear those eyes however, knowing that they weren't aimed towards her specifically.

"Your husband and his brother almost wiped out my entire family, Sita. It is only thanks to you that my blood still flows in the world, and that is one of three reasons as to why I am even considering working with you. The other is because we share a common goal in making sure that your husband pays for what he has done."

"And the last is because I can tell you the state of the world." Sita spoke calmly, being fully aware that her life wasn't in any imminent danger. "But there is a fourth reason reason isn't there. The fact that I saved your wife's life."

The iron grip that had at some point moved up her wrist suddenly let her go, as if the man had burned himself on it. That was the only action of retreat he made however, still sitting down at the same spot. But instead of having his head held high like he had been through their entire conversation, was his head now bowing low, frighteningly close to the floor of the cave.

"I apologize for my actions. I don't know what came over me." Much like his posture, was his tone of voice filled with regret. After having known the man the little amount of time Sita had known him when they both lived on Earth, and the centuries that they had lived in the Netherworld, was she fairly confident that she knew what was going through the head of the man.

"There is no need to apologise." Sita didn't fault him for lashing out, being quite aware that bringing up her husband, brother-in-law, or anything that once threatened the life of his wife, was something that was bound to awaken his ire. And she had mentioned all three of them in the same sentence. Instead returned she just to her previous position from before he had pulled her towards himself, her hands smoothing over what possible wrinkles or creases might have formed on her junihitoe from his rather sudden action. "I think you will like the news I have for you."

…

"Are you both ready to go?" Dante asked as he turned back from their hotel door to inspect his companions, all of them preparing to go out for some ramen on Maria's request. They also had plans for later, as Godou's sister had called not too long ago and wondered if they wanted to come by for dinner later. But first had they to get some lunch in them, especially Liliana. It took a lot of one to be stuck in a hospital for longer stretches of time, and while they hadn't been in there for too long, needed they to still replenish their energy.

Both of the girls were standing behind him, fully prepared to walk out. Maria was positively bouncing, quickly moving up and down without ever really leaving the ground. Liliana was more composed than the younger girl, the way she held herself reflecting her status as a knight, ready for anything and everything.

The youngest member of their little group grabbed the silver haired knight's hand with her own, before starting to effectively drag the older girl towards the door. Much like a child that wanted to show their parents something exciting. Liliana couldn't resist the younger girl, and was almost effortlessly pulled out of the room. Whether it was because Liliana was still recovering, or that Maria was just deceptively strong was anyone's guess, but there was no denying that she got the older girl out of their suite through her own efforts.

Dante followed the two girls, making sure to close the door behind him as he got out. He looked down the hallway as his sister and knight kept going. They were talking between one another with smiles on their faces, acting as if they were friends, or possibly even siblings. No one could guess their actual relationship just from looking at them, the fact that Maria was the sibling of Liliana's lord, and therefore fell within her duty of protection. Not that it was something that they seemed to actually think about, deciding instead to act as if they were of the same standing with one another. Something that Dante truly appreciated.

He knew that Voban's treatment of his underlings was something that could surely be improved. He expected nothing but absolute loyalty without anything in return as he ruled those below him through nothing but terror of the fact that he didn't need them alive to serve him. Something that was befitting of a tyrant such as him.

Dante in the meantime didn't aim to rule as a King, choosing to instead travel the world together with his sister. Something which brought its own kinds of dangers, especially everytime he set foot in China, as that always caused Luo Hao to go on a searching spree through her kingdom. No doubt so that she could beat up the intruder, in other words: Dante.

...Speaking of China and their Campione, it was surprising to him that the Ruler of the Martial Realm hadn't shown herself within Japan in order to beat him up. After what the did to hear in their last encounter was he more than sure that he had tipped her over the breaking point, and would surely turn the entire country upside down in order to get back at him. Quite possibly in the literal sense if left unchecked.

But no, there hadn't been any signs of the second oldest Campione being in Tokyo, there hadn't even been any signs that she had left China to begin with. Everything seemed to just be calm and quiet, with no signs of him being in any imminent danger at the moment. It made him feel at ease, but with an underlying layer of anxiety as he felt that it wouldn't be long before something would disturb this temporary peace.

His One Eyed Wanderer wasn't of much use anymore, as this timeline was a lot different from those he had been able to see. Nothing he did gave him any idea for what was to come, all he could do was to be as prepared as possible.

The three of them walked out of the hotel, and was immediately exposed to the late summer heat.

"It is a lot hotter than I thought it would be." Liliana commented, feeling how every pore in her body reacted to the surprisingly hot temperature that was beating down on them.

Her lord and his sister agreed, looking around themselves as they took notice of all the other citizens that were also exiting the building they had just came out from. They didn't seem to be as affected by the warmth as they were, as they were just on the edge of starting to sweat just by standing there, while all other seemed completely fine to them.

This heat wasn't normal, it was generated through magic. And they only knew one person that could do something like this on such intensity-

"Dante!"

-And she had suddenly tackled the only male of the group to the ground, as she let out a excited cry before crashing into the blonde Campione. Her sudden appearance took everyone by surprise, especially Liliana, whose knightly training suddenly kicked in. Only to stop herself as she couldn't summon Il Maestro while surrounded by potential witnesses. Except she couldn't not do something as well, as that would leave her lord potentially in danger.

"Oh, how long I have missed you!" the red haired assailant exclaimed before lunging, her head shooting down towards the defenseless King, like a predator going in for the kill.

Liliana could do nothing but blush as she bore witness to the strange girl claiming Dante's lips, something which he didn't put up any fight against. A part of her panicked for a moment, being aware of how one could inject magic or even spells orally, something which would bypass a Campione's external immunity against magic. However, as she saw her lord recuperating the kiss, even going so far as fighting for dominance in their personal dual with their tongues, stopped she herself from attacking the red haired woman. Most of it was due to shock as well as embarrassment. After all, seeing your boss suddenly start kissing a girl you didn't know was sure to cause that kind of reaction.

The two separated suddenly, not by choice, but by the younger sister of the man that the red haired woman had attacked forcibly prying them off each other. Maria's bestacled eyes showed only excitement, unlike what Liliana had been expecting to see in her eyes.

"Brenda!" the younger Zola exclaimed in a manner similar to how the now identified redhead had done just moments prior. She hugged her like a old friend, or possibly even a family member, in a manner that truly spoke of the fact that it had been quite some time since they had last seen each other. Brenda in turn returned the hug with little hesitation, rising up from the Campione still laying on the ground. Quite the bold move, seeing as she was currently wearing a skirt and was rising straight up from she had been positioned on top of Dante.

The brown blonde male didn't seem to care however, rising up with her as she stood. The amount of affection and love that was present within his eyes was extraordinary, something which his knight had never seen in reality before.

She had to be honest, it was inspiring… she would have to do some writing later tonight.

From just the other side of the street was Chizue observing the interactions between what was essentially strangers to her. While she had taken somewhat of a liking to Brenda, didn't she trust the redhead as much as she let on, a sentiment she noticed had been mutual between them. Having witnessed the group that she was now part of helped explain it somewhat, as it was made up of some intriguing individuals.

Even with all the space between them could she tell that the only male of the group was a Campione. With what she could at least guess was a close relative of his, most likely his sibling, being something of similar nature to him. The third individual was someone she recognised however, afterall, Liliana Kranjcar had become something of a celebrity within the world of magic as of late. As a high ranked Great Knight within the Bronze-Black Cross was she bound to have some notoriety, it was however her latest accomplishment that truly made her known within all magical organisations.

Her having escaped her servitude to Sasha Dejanstahl Voban, Balkan's King and the oldest Campione currently alive.

All in all were they an interesting collection of individuals, all of which seemed to possess some form of power. Honestly was it a group that Chizue wouldn't see any problem hanging out with, especially as she had taken a quick liking to the Swedish girl, but she felt that she would only get in the way if she were to join them at this point. There was no reason for her to be there in her opinion, she was just a outsider after all.

The tall Japanese woman turned away from the group and proceeded to walk away, going along the same way that she and Brenda had taken to get here to begin with. It didn't take long before she blended into the crowd despite her height and appearance, essentially becoming invisible to anyone that tried to find her from outside of the crowd.

Just as the dirty blonde woman disappeared from sight turned Brenda around, excited to introduce her newest acquaintance to her dear Dante and Maria. And the knight as well of course, but she was more of an afterthought to the red haired girl at the moment.

'That's weird, I thought she followed with me' Brenda pondered to herself, only to change her focus to the people in front of her as she heard herself being introduced by Dante.

"Liliana, I would like you to meet Brenda Eld. She is a Great Knight much like you, and I hope you will get along with her." The brown blonde teen then turned towards the Scandinavian girl "Brenda, this is Liliana Kranjcar, my knight."

The red haired girl looked at Dante with an expression that could only be described as incredulous, clearly having trouble believing the announcement he had just made. She turned towards the knight that was behind this seemingly impossible occasion, her eyes betraying no other emotion than utter disbelief. Then they changed in the blink of an eye, her red orbs suddenly brimming with happiness. So much happiness in fact that it overflowed.

Causing her to suddenly release a stream of tears.

Liliana was taken aback by the sudden change of emotion that had taken place in a span of less than ten seconds, being especially caught off guard by the tears that suddenly cascaded down the other woman's beautiful face. The knight didn't know if she should try consoling her or not, or if there was anything else she could do in the position she had suddenly been put in.

"Thank you… so much!" The still crying girl suddenly exclaimed, before proceeding to hug the silver haired girl in a manner that just as sudden as pretty much everything else she had done up until this point.

Liliana didn't know how to react to the embrace, her arms raised in shock by her side as she contemplated whether to return the hug or not. She also didn't understand as to what the red haired girl was thanking her for, just having the vague understanding that it had something to do with her acting as Dante's knight.

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because you are the only knight that Dante has ever appointed. He might appear smart most of the time, but he surely is an idiot just as much." the red haired girl was at the constant edge of starting bawling her eyes out as she talked, but managed to hold it in long enough to get her words out. The poor knight couldn't do anything but let the other girl let everything out, being thankful that she at least wasn't being used as a napkin, seeing as Brenda had pulled a handkerchief out from… somewhere… seriously where did that come from? There was nowhere that she could have effectively hid it until now!

Unless…

Liliana couldn't help but look down for the briefest of moments in order to gauge a certain aspect of the red haired girl. Her gaze quickly turned envious as her eyes found what she was searching for.

'She could certainly had hid it there if she wanted to. The world really isn't fair'

Brenda's sudden outburst didn't last for long, soon releasing Liliana from the hug that she had trapped the Croatian knight in. This also gave the silver haired knight an idea of how warm the Scandinavian girl really was, noticing an immediate drop in temperature as the other girl walked away from her and towards Dante once more. It was as if she was a living furnace, radiating more heat than what should be possible for a human without suffering some dire consequences.

"I am happy for you, Dante" the Swedish redhead informed with a bright smile as looked up at the only male in their little group. Dante smiled in kind, taking one of Brenda's hands as she walked closer to him. His grip was firm, and yet was his touch light as a feather for Brenda, as he made sure to not discomfort or hurt her. It had been so long since he had last seen her after all.

"And I am happy that you are happy."

Maria looked between the two young adults, an uncomfortable expression plastered on her face. The atmosphere they created from being close proximity to one another was way too sweet in her opinion, and it was only a matter of time they started saying something cheesy… Alright cheesier than it already was getting!

"Come on brother, weren't we supposed to be getting something to eat?!" She even went as far as starting tugging her older brother by the arm, hoping to create even the slightest of separation between the two of them, being aware from previous experiences that it would be enough for them to turn back to normal. At least temporarily.

Meanwhile stood Liliana off to the sidelines, feeling like a outsider as she witnessed how much the siblings actually knew the newcomer from their interactions. It was something that made her feel excluded from the group, as if she didn't belong with them, even if she knew that it was far from the truth. The truth that she haven't been able to spend the same amount of time with all of them like they had.

…

Godou flew up with a start, his body screaming for air despite having more than sufficient oxygen coursing through it. He looked around his surroundings, a haze momentarily clouding his mind as he was unable to recognise his surroundings despite knowing that he saw them every day. As he looked around and got reacquainted with his own bedroom couldn't he help but feel that there was something missing in his memories, as if something very important or unforgetable had been forcibly ripped out from his memories without leaving anything but that one feeling behind.

Which might explain why he was hurting all over for no apparent reason.

The Japanese Campione rose up from his bed, rolling his shoulders to try relieving the stress that accumulated while he had been unconscious, walking towards the only door in the room as he did so. Or he would have, hadn't his head felt like it was suddenly splitting open as he suffered what must have been the worst headache of his entire life. He was forced to sit back down on his bed, otherwise risking to become very acquainted with the floor of his bedroom, something he would rather avoid.

A wave of nausea washed over him as the splitting headache suddenly assaulted his head, making everything spin around him even as he sat entirely still. He felt sick, not only because of the headache, but as if it was something he had digested had seriously messed up his stomach.

No wonder that he was feeling like that at the moment, as while his new physiology had been able to neutralize the Hydra poison that killed him earlier into something non-lethal, was it still strong enough to mess him up from the inside. Effectively giving him an intense stomach ache that would have warranted any normal person to visit a hospital as soon as possible.

Godou, being a Campione and all, didn't need to go through with such procedures, being able to feel in real time how all the pain he was experiencing was slowly, but surely, vanishing. It was a surreal experience, something that he thanked his new nature for. Even if that nature was as a being geared towards fighting rouge deities and their own kind.

That thought gave him momentary pause. It was something that he had never consciously thought about until now, but as he did started he to realise something. After having been turned into a Campione, had he suddenly had an increased drive towards combat. He didn't actively search it out, but everytime it presented itself were it as if he was ready and waiting, as if excited by the prospect of a good fight. Thinking back on it, had he felt how his new nature reacted to Dante's presence. It was as if a beast rose from its slumber, ready to pounce and rip its target to pieces at any moment.

The only reason that Godou hadn't acted on this instinct being the fact that he respected the Italian Campione too much to do something like that out of nowhere. But those times that Dante had allowed them to fight one another, remembered he how he had practically felt giddy on the inside.

The fact that remembering those confrontations was enough for excitement to start well up within him, made him pause for a moment. His hands were visibly shaking, and he knew it wasn't because he felt sick, but because he was thinking back on the two only fights that they had had between them. It was technically three, but when Dante fought in the form of Typhon didn't feel as if he had been fighting his senior. The facts didn't change however, he felt nothing but the greatest sense elation every time he had faced off against his fellow Campione.

It was in this moment that one thought started to dominate his mind. Something that had been nothing more than a whisper in the back of his head until this very point, was now a scream that drowned out all other thoughts that went through his mind, forcing him to answer a question he didn't think he had the answer to.

How come that he actually started liking the idea of fighting against Dante?

He remembered being quite competitive back in his baseball days, before his injury and forced retirement from the sport he had played with a passion. This wasn't on the same level as being competitive against other individuals, this felt more raw, more primal. Unlike every other scenario that somehow involved him fighting something, wasn't he repulsed by the idea, neither consciously or subconsciously. The silver lining being that it still was something he had control over, but he couldn't help but wonder. What if it was like an addiction, starting out as something seemingly harmless, before it turned into something that took over his thoughts and forced him to take some form of action in order to quell it-

"Hey, big brother! Are you awake?"

-Godou couldn't help but thank Shizuka mentally as she knocked on his bedroom door, that one simple action being enough to snap him out of his internal analysis on how his situation as a Campione and how it had affected him.

"Yeah, I woke up just a minute ago." he answered, proceeding to walk over to the door in the process. His body didn't react as violently as it had before, allowing him to actually walk over to it without suddenly feeling sick or collapsing, allowing him to actually cross the distance between the two points this time.

Before he could open the door however, had Shizuka already done it, no doubt entering to properly check on her brother. She was still kinda worried, seeing as she had witnessed him dying right before her eyes. Even if the way he had died was subtle, having looked like he just feel asleep, was it still disturbing to know that one's brother had died out of nowhere all of the sudden, only to come back to life a couple moments later. It was an unreal experience to be quite honest, and helped reinforce the fact that the world of magic was one that was still far beyond her understanding, despite having been exposed to it in the most extreme way possible.

It was a subject that Shizuka was going to take every opportunity she could find in order to get a better understanding of it. Seeing as it is something that she could never walk away from at this point, something she couldn't truly unsee, no matter how hard she tried, was the best option to just embrace all of it.

Even if that also meant fully accepting the fact that her brother was no longer human.

The young girl smiled as she walked fully into her brother's room, carrying a tray with food in her hands. It wasn't much, but she thought that her brother might need something after having gone without food for so long, even if the reason behind it was that he had died. She wasn't sure, having no actual idea in how his resurrection actually worked, so all she did was guessing at this point.

"I made you something to eat. I wasn't entirely sure about how you would be feeling right after… that… so I made something that should be easy to digest and still be filling."

"Thank you, Shizuka"

"No problem, big brother"

The youngest Kusanagi left the room after having checked up on her brother and handing over the tray, walking to her own room. Several thoughts swirling around in her head, most of which involved two individuals that she would say stood her very close, those being her brother, and Hideyoshi.

It also didn't help with Athena's visit earlier, the wounded goddess having left with some ominous after their discussion earlier. The biggest question being whether or not she could actually trust any of them.

'Campione aren't human'

That was hard to say in her opinion, from what she had seen from her brother was he still mostly the same as before all of this. She was pretty sure that hadn't all this happened would she have been unable to say that anything had really changed. Considering the fact that her entire worldview had been flipped on its head had made her reconsider a lot of things however. And while she agreed that her brother was no longer a normal human, or human at all, was he still her older brother. Actually accepting the fact that her brother was not human made her pause and think what the implications actually were.

Which begged the question: what was the difference between a Campione and human, mage or not?

The thought of mages brough Hideyoshi to the forefront of her mind. The boy had for some time been one of her closest friends ever since they both started in Jounan Academy's middle school division, and as far as she knew was she one of his only friends from the division. People had kinda assumed that he was something of a delinquent just because of his hair, never taking into the consideration that he seemed to only be half-Japanese, at least.

In hindsight was it weird to think that one of the reasons as to why she now knew about the world of magic, was because she decided to befriend Hideyoshi back then. Not that she complained, as he had saved her from Dio when he attempted to kidnap her.

And now they were a couple, something which brought a smile to her mouth, and some heat to her cheeks as the thought entered her mind. That disappeared not long after however, remembering Athena's words regarding the blonde boy, unsure whether they were the truth or just. Despite that had they sown seeds of doubt within the young girls mind, not being able to tell what was the truth and what was decit.

…

Liliana could do nothing but stare in wonder as their new companion demolished her third straight bowl of ramen with what appeared to minimal visible effort. And they weren't small bowls either, having been filled with one would have considered an absurd amount of toppings that would surely hamper the progress of anyone. Only to look on flabbergasted as Brenda made short work of it, while still possessing the grace expected of a knight such as Erica and herself.

She had heard that there were those that burned through such a large amount of magical energy that they needed a bigger food intake, but this was just getting ridiculous. Even the owner of the restaurant they had entered seemed to agree, having yet to move or big up his jaw since the Swedish girl began her unstoppable war path through all of their available cuisine.

The Zola siblings meanwhile ate without a care in the world, not taking the slightest notice of Brenda's eating habit, just enjoying their own meals that were placed before them. Their meals, much like her own, were rather simple in comparison to the red haired girl's, but was with little doubt accomplishing it's duty of being a filling meal. Maria was only halfway through her bowl, but was already showing early signs of struggle. Her brother in the meantime was having a far easier time getting his meal down, only to take some time to look over at Brenda for a couple seconds, before resuming his meal. This resulted in the two of them having pretty much the same pace with one another, despite the fact was eating constantly while the other ate in measured intervals.

Liliana was snapped out of her analyzation of the blonde siblings by the sound of the girl besides her putting down her bowl with a wooden thud.

It was as if that one sound caused the entire establishment to turn their attention towards her, as if waiting in anticipation of what her next words or actions would be. And when it looked like Brenda was finally satisfied, having made no motion towards the menu, felt they as if it was safe to breath out again-

"One more, please!"

"Coming right up!"

-Only for the same breath to hastily retreat back into their mouths almost just as fast as they had escaped. They all got to work on her order barely an instant later, assembling the order in what was surely record time for not only the shop, but across the entirety of Tokyo, if not all of Japan. Before a minute had managed to pass was an identical bowl of ramen placed down before the Scandinavian girl. With chopsticks already in hand went she to work on the record holding dish before her, with little regard for such a fact. Her chopsticks moving back and forth between the bowl and her mouth at a high pace.

All Liliana could do in the meantime was look on in disbelief, still having a hard time to accept the fact that so much food could be put away so effortlessly by someone of Brenda's build.

…

Hideyoshi sat on his bed in his room all alone, with nothing but his own thoughts as company, something he felt he could do without at the moment. Before him was his cellphone, as if taunting him for the fact that he wanted to call someone, but lacked the resolve to actually perform the action. Even if he were to call anyone didn't he know who or what he could even say, feeling as if there would be no point to it.

Athena's words had really shaken him up, and why wouldn't they. She had practically told him that he was suffering some kind of terminal illness without a cure that could claim his life at a moments notice without warning. It also didn't help that once he was dead would he more than surely leave a Heretic god behind that would no doubt bring a great deal of chaos with it. Who knows how many he would inadvertently kill as a result.

He pulled his knees closer, becoming nothing more than a ball as he lied his head on his knees. There was so many things he wanted to do. He wanted to cry. Curse the world for how unfair his situation was. Spend all the time he had with those he cared about. Do as much possible before his time ran out. And yet didn't he move, feeling that accepting his fate would be the much less painful choice.

The young boy didn't move from his position for he didn't how long. Even as his legs started to get uncomfortable didn't he move, telling himself that he deserved it. The subconscious part of his mind screamed at him that he shouldn't be thinking in such a self-destructive way, but the much more active part of his mind silenced any attempts it had at trying to snap him out of it. It did however cause him to look up towards his phone with a blank stare, as if it was a potential lifeline.

At that moment was he practically asking fate itself for a helping hand. There was nagging feeling telling him that if anyone would call him in this moment, would it be proof enough that there were those that did care about him.

And yet, wouldn't the phone ring as he waited. His at this point empty eyes looked at the phone in silent anticipation, small sparks of life peaking through in those reddish-brown orbs of his. But as the minutes ticked by, grew those small sparks ever dimmer and smaller, threatening to disappear at any moment.

For ten full minutes sat he there with his entire attention focused solely on the small piece of technology primarily meant for communication. His patience had to run out at some point, and once it did resumed he his previous position. His legs curled up and his forehead firmly planted against his knees, with his arms wrapped around his head, fully closing him out from the rest of the world around him.

"Maybe I should just give up… Accept reality…"

A mental image of Shizuka's face suddenly assaulted his mind as he spoke those words. Her visage was smiling at him, a small hint of blush being noticable on her face. It was a memory from not too long ago, back from when he was in the hospital, back when they had officially became a couple.

That one memory shone through the darkness that he had sunk into, acting as a beacon, a guiding light that could lead him back. Just so long as he decided to take it. He looked up towards his phone once more, but this time didn't he wait for it, this time was it he who took the initiative.

There was still things he wanted to do.

Hideyoshi had already started moving before his phone had even began ringing the sudden rush of motivation moving him to get ready as soon as possible. He didn't know how much time that actually remained, and he would no longer allow it to hold him back, he would instead move forward so that he wouldn't regret it later.

"Big Sis, please met me at the place we decided to fight each other one day in 50 minutes, I am ready!"

He ended the call directly after, having gone to her voicemail to begin with. As he put away his phone for a moment, couldn't he help but hesitate for a second, wondering if this was what he wanted to do right now. It only lasted for a moment, with him snapping himself out of his sudden rut before it could bring him down once more.

He had no time to lose if he wanted to get through everything before time was up.

Exactly 50 minutes after Hideyoshi had left the message arrived Chizue to met the blonde haired boy. The older blonde looked around the area that they had decided to fight one another at some point in the future.

"I see that you managed to prepare everything before I got here. Just like you said you would all those months ago."

A sizeable portion of the Kasai Rinkai Park had been sealed off to the normal populace, the usually lively park now being eerily silent as there weren't any people around thanks to Hideyoshi.

"We did agree to fight one another if I ever wished to after all." Hideyoshi answered, looking out towards the water that were just a couple meters further down the slope. "This place is somewhat special to me after all, I just see it as fitting that something like this should happen here."

Chizue let out a sound of acknowledgment before she also turned her attention towards the water. "I understand what you mean. This is the place were we first met one another after all."

'This is also the first place I can properly remember.' the boy thought to himself, not taking any chances to make himself heard by his surrogate sister. After having heard what had told him had he tried to prove that it was impossible, that he was a normal human mage and not anything special.

All she had told him was to remember as far back as he could, her calm tone indicating that she already knew the truth.

And when he did as he was told, wouldn't his memories go back any further than about 3 years. Of him standing here on this very spot, his eyes looking out towards the ocean knowing nothing else but his name and age, and the fact that he had a house a good distance from there. Thinking back had he never met his parents once, and yet received he a steady income of money from them that made sure that the house was paid and that he could fill the fridge.

Everything had felt so natural, as if that was how things was supposed to be. Feeling as if it was how he had lived his entire life. Feeling being the keyword, he had no actual memories earlier than that that assured him it was how he had lived up until that point.

He turned away from the ocean, his attention drifting towards Chizue, the only one he knew who he could considered as being family.

Their eyes met, the sudden rush of feelings that welled up inside Hideyoshi forcing him to take a calming, albeit shaky breath.

"I hope you are ready, because I won't be holding back." the older teen spoke, her form shifting to a battle ready stance.

"The same to you." he responded in kind, pulling up his massive sword from the ground as he also settled into a stance.

That was his first mistake.

He had given the taller blonde a chance to get ready before him, allowing him to attack just before he could properly take his own stance. Making him think that she would let him prepare by not moving until the last possible second, temporarily easing his mind, more than enough that she got within range in a single, explosive motion.

Chizue's leg moved towards his head at high speed, carrying the residual momentum of her first action. It was a guaranteed knockout attack as long as it connected, as the woman held back enough to not kill him.

That was her first mistake.

As she held back her attack wasn't it traveling at top speed, something which Hideyoshi had bet on her to do. All of her actions up until now were within his expectations, allowing his plans and preparations to be executed smoothly.

Yellow lines of light made themselves known across Hideyoshi's skin, suddenly lighting up like shining tattoos over his skin. The ground beneath their feet suddenly erupted, forcing Chizue to back away, the resulting dirt shaping into a giant arm.

Hideyoshi let go of the sword handle with one hand, the giant earth appendage moving in unison to his motion. Taking advantage of the distance that had formed between them, went he on the offensive. Following the movement of his arm, was the larger imitation sent forward in the motion of a straightforward punch towards his opponent.

But before it could connect properly, exploded it into nothing more than dust. A small gale blowing all of the remains towards him, temporarily blinding him as it forced him to close his eyes. Not that it hindered him from being able to tell from which direction his Big Sis was coming from, the dust that remained in the air still acting as an extension of his own body allowing him to feel which direction she was closing in from.

He managed to parrie her first attack with his blade, diverting the majority of the force of her punch away from himself, before being forced to dodge out of the way as her leg shot upwards, the attack having came from outside of his guard. He realised that her punch had been nothing more than a distraction, her true goal having been to force him to raise his blade higher than so that he wouldn't be able to block attacks from below.

That entire exchange had only lasted for 5 seconds, and could have ended in 6.

Hadn't he dodged right there would he surely have lost, as the force would have forced his weapon up above his head, allowing Chizue to finish the fight with a couple well placed blows to his head and stomach.

He raised his sword in a defensive stance, anticipating that Chizue would follow up her failed attack. Which was why he was surprised to see her still standing there, an unsure smile on her face.

"What's wrong, Hidde? You don't seem to be fully in it." she asked, concern clear as she spoke.

Hideyoshi froze, his throat constricting as he tried to respond, not letting anything out. He had conflicting feelings regarding all of this, as he wanted to tell her everything, but at the same time having an overwhelming premonition that doing it would lead her to cancel their fight entirely, something which he couldn't let happen.

"A lot of things have been happening as of late, and it got me thinking…" So he decided to be vague about his current situation and feelings, only sprinkling in parts of the true story without giving too much away. "I already knew that one's time on Earth is limited, but having taken part of an event such as the Starless Night, made it me realise that I don't have any idea how limited it might actually be for me. So I decided to face head on, to not hesitate any more."

He poised his sword into an offensive stance, his strength allowing him to wield it without problem. "And I will begin by defeating you!"

Chizue looked a bit shocked by the blonde boy's proclamation, before changing into a look of excitement, her red eyes practically lighting up. "I see. Very well then, Hideyoshi, I hope you're ready, because I won't be holding anything back!"

…

Approximately 3200 kilometers from Tokyo, at the top of an undisclosed mountain in the chinese mountain range of Kunlun, was the Campione of the eastern country, Luo Hao, currently meditating by herself. The high altitude of the mountain would have made it hard to breath, even when resting, without equipment. Which combined with the freezing cold and harsh sunlight that one would need proper protection to handle.

The Ruler of the Martial Realm had neither, and appeared to be completely fine under these normally life threatening conditions. With ease breathed she in deep with little hesitation, the lack of abundant oxygen and lung freezing air being of little concern to the martial arts master. The same could be said about how the temperature didn't have any visible effect on the second oldest Campione, as she was dressed in nothing more than her green and white Han dynasty inspired combat dress.

She had been up there for days now, not having moved from that spot once since she got there. It had gotten to the point that her underlings had started worrying about her sudden behaviour, especially after having seen her in such a state just before she had secluded herself on the top of the mountain. They didn't know the exact details regarding what had happened, some of them having seen her personal training ground completely overturned as if some great force had impacted in the general area, but there had been no signs of the Chinese Campione.

And when she suddenly returned to her temple where all of her underlyings had been training, had they been shocked of her state. Her movements had been stiff and rigid, nothing like the graceful and flowing motions she normally carried herself with. And her dress was somehow not in its pristine state, something which baffled all that saw her, before promptly being knocked unconscious by their leader.

There was however nothing they could do to get in contact with Luo Cullian at the moment, having completely sealed herself off from the outside by creating a storm of turbulent winds that went for miles below the tip of the mountain she had been residing at. Anyone that tried to climb the mountain would find it to be impossible, even through magical means, the merciless winds that she had created making it a fool's errand to even attempt it.

In all this time had the black haired Campione done nothing but meditate at the mountain's top completely undisturbed and without rest as a result. For what reason, no one but the Ruler of the Martial Realm knew.

Luo Hao's eyes snapped open all of the sudden, her green eyes having a certain shine to them as they opened for the first time in days. Her head turned in a certain direction towards the horizon. A direction which lined up perfectly with a certain Rat that had gone from small nuisance to something fully insufferable. She had been keeping watch on all his activities ever since they had clashed, having no trouble finding him now that she had gotten a good grasp on his magical signature.

And now was it the time to strike.

"A fish lives in the northern ocean, its name is the Kun! The Kun is so large, no one knows how many thousands of miles long it is. Transforming into a bird, its name is the Peng! The Peng's back is so vast, no one knows how many thousands of miles wide it is. Flying furiously, its wings are like clouds filling up the sky!"

The Chinese Campione's body started to glow as a vast amount of qi flowed through her body, fueling the transformation that was about to take place. The light enveloped her body like a cocoon, as she, much like how a caterpillar turned into a butterfly, was she also going through a form of metamorphosis at the moment.

As the ball of light disappeared, had Luo Hao done the same. Or at least, her other form had. Instead was she now taking a form reminiscent of the Fenghuang, also known around the world as the Chinese Phoenix. Her size in this avian form was far greater than the top of the mountain, even without taking into consideration of her wingspan, which was easily two times her own massive length at least. The majority of her feathers was a vibrant emerald green in color, her underbelly and head feathers being the only exceptions. The underbelly was pure white in color, looking like even purer snow than that which she had blown up as a result of her transformation. Her head feathers were in contrast a alluring black even darker than the night sky.

The mighty bird stretched outs it's wings to their fullest, the resulting winds that they generated whirling up a blizzard around Luo Hao. And then with a flap of her new wings lifted she of the ground completely. Her avian body covered vast distances in a short amount of time, her start speed being greater than that of any bird on Earth and was only picking up more and more speed as she soared through the air, with her destination being the megalopolis of Japan: Tokyo.

Hope you liked it.

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