Fourth Arc- Sword God Sect
-Beast Realm, Unknown Territory-
The Sword God Sect. an ancient sect established for only one reason. To subdue the Devil God Sword, Riptide!
For Millennia, the people who sought the peak of the path of the sword would travel across countless hardships, cross the Deadly trials of the Sword initiation ceremony, just so they could become a disciple of the sword god sect!
They had but one goal. To pursue the path of the sword, to find the limits of their mortal bodies. Only the most exceptional, the proudest, the most powerful could reach the highest level. The level of Sword Master! Where one could take control of the Cursed Blade of the Devil, Riptide!
To wield riptide's power was a sign of how powerful your control of the sword was, but on the other hand, it was a curse, as the sword was a monster, a demon that sought to devour its wielder. Weak people would be consumed by the Sword spirit within instants, but the more talent and strength the wielder had, the longer he could continue to use the sword. The Sword Master's were those who could Resist Riptide's devouring for their entire lives.
The only aim of the Sword God sect was the pursuit of the peak of the path of the sword. They had no other goals or ambitions, so their name could even be considered to be a secret, something that only the most elite people within the Beast realm would know of. And it had little impact on the world around them, as they only sought to gain a deeper understanding of the powers of the sword, and so never othered with interfering with the surrounding cities of the Beast folk.
Of course, even if they held no malice towards others, the same could not be said for others. Many people were envious of the treasures of the sword god sect. of course, the greatest of this would be the Devil God Sword Riptide, the most powerful weapon in the entire beast realm. According to legend, Riptide was both a weapon, that could grant its user unrivalled strength, as well as a key that would allow its holder to ascend and escape from this world, to enter a new realm, a dimension separated from this world of theirs.
People who heard this, inevitably felt greed, and a sense of hopefulness. What if they were to get their hands on this kind of power? What if they could unleash the true power of this treasure? How amazing would that be?
And of course, thoughts like these would lead to the spread of exaggerated rumours. What made the rumours worse was the fact that the Sword God Sect made no effort from their side to reduce the spread of rumours, instead allowing them to continue unchecked. This finally led to the powers wanting to see the Famed Devil God Sword.
But when resisted, this power decided to take matters into their own hands, marching to war against the Sword God Sect. many other powers watched this scene eagerly. They thought that this would be the perfect time to gauge the strength of the Sword God Sect.
Of course, if they could take advantage of the chaos and steal the Devil God Sword, that would be even better. However, what they expected never came to pass.
In opposition to the army of millions of beasts that had come to defeat the Sword God Sect, only two humans came out.
Wielding two bronze swords, both of them struck just once.
Two slashes.
The elite vanguard of the army, numbering over a hundred powerful warriors were killed by the two attacks. They were completely helpless, unable to resist or defend themselves, or even escape.
The rest of the army immediately surrendered and beat a hasty retreat.
After that day, the rest of the powers had learnt their lesson with blood. Whatever happens, never provoke the Sword God Sect!
And those two youths grew to be the greatest and most exceptional geniuses of the Sword God Sect. their Skill in the path of the sword was apparent from a young age. The Two Devil Swords of the Sect, both halves of riptide each selected one each.
And ever since, their growth was unstoppable.
The two of them quickly surpassed even the Sword Sect Master, defeated even their seniors and teachers, until at last, their only opponents were each other.
There could only be one Sword Master, but the other wielder of riptide would become the Grand Elder. However, the difference this time was that the two youths were so powerful, so talented, that they might even be able to fuse both the riptide's together and unleash the true power of the Devil God Sword.
So, the greed of humanity was seen here as well. The two great warriors went to war against each other. The entire Sword God Sect was split into two factions, forced support one of the two leaders. Both sough the power of the Fused Devil God Sword, and to that end, the powerful Sword God Sect tore itself apart in a war that shook the heavens and ruined the earth with its might. Brothers fought brothers, comrades turned on one another, and an entire sect that was powerful enough to cover the skies was ruined by a single war.
And in the end, the war was for naught. Both sides were simply too strong, both geniuses were simply too talented. It appeared as if there would be no end to this conflict caused by greed, that it might even continue on for eternity until the geniuses themselves ended up killing each other. However, one fateful day, the unthinkable happened. One of the geniuses admitted to his defeat, and ended the war from his side. However, he did not surrender himself, or return to the sword god sect. instead, he simply chose to disappear from the sights of the world, taking his half of the Devil God Riptide with him.
And so, like that, a legend ended, almost unnoticed, and the Current Sword Sect Master was the strongest ever known.
"Ok, that's an interesting story, but why on earth are you telling me all this?" Percy asked the blonde with a confused expression.
The girl frowned, then sighed exaggeratedly. "That is the story of my father."
Percy's ears immediately perked up. "The story of the Sword Master? You mean to say, he is the disappeared Sword Genius of the Sword God Sect?"
"Indeed. And that is not all that there is. This is a fact hidden from most. That is, my father and the current Sword Sect Master are brother! They are twin brothers!" the girl announced fiercely.
Percy frowned. "Okay? Interesting, but not really news worthy."
The girl glared at Percy, her eyes carrying a hint of mocking intent. "They are twins, who share a deep understanding of the Dao of the Sword. Their talent is best displayed when together. In fact, you can even call them the two sides of the same coin. Their powers were so great because they had each other."
"Then, even if one of them were defeated, the other brother would never be able to fuse the Swords of Riptide together…" Percy murmured, coming to an understanding.
"Exactly." The girl's eyes glowed with a sense of self satisfaction. "When they realized this, they decided to end the war between each other, and instead decided to pursue their own idea of what the perfection of the Sword means. They decided that when they found their peak, they would pass their teachings and knowledge to one of their students, who would then challenge each other. The loser would have to lose his inheritance, and hand over the Understanding given by his teacher to the winner. They believed that when these two would fuse together, the owner would surpass even them!"
Percy smiled. "so, you came to find your father, to get his inheritance from him. But instead, you found out that he had already passed on, and his inheritance was in the hands of a stranger."
The girl snorted. "This is an internal matter of or Sword God Sect. we must settle this dispute so we can select the next Sword Sect Master! As such, you cannot keep that inheritance. I am the successor of my father. As such, I must take his inheritance and go to war to defeat my uncle's successor."
"All this is great, but um… you haven't told me your name yet… can I call you Leah?"
"No."
"Okay, Leah, you've told me this entire story," Percy shrugged, "But I don't understand exactly what I'm supposed to do after hearing it. Surely, you expect me to just hand over the inheritance of my teacher to you, just because you told me a random story, right? I mean, it might be true, but might also be fake, since I have no way to verify or confirm if what you said is true, or if you even are the Sword Master's daughter. And more importantly, even if everything that you said to me was true… so what? How exactly does that concern me? I wasn't even the Sword Master's actual disciple. My master was Mike, a Beast man born and brought up in Beast Main City. I haven't even met the Sword Master, so why would I give the teachings and the sword left to me by my teacher to you? Do I look like a fool?"
The girl Grit her teeth. "What do you want from me then?"
Percy shrugged with an easy smile. "Take me to the Sword God Sect then. If what you said is the truth, then it seems that I have an appointment to keep with a new rival of mine."
-Ruined Realm, Earthen Territory-
Alcyoneus appeared at the edge of the Roman Empire. A cruel smile played across his handsome face as he looked down at his hand. "Now I have power over death, and I have finished absorbing the powers of Typhon himself! Such a pity he was killed before I found him, otherwise I could have absorbed even more energy from him! And now, the perfect target to test my current strength against…" his eyes flashed with greed and arrogance as he looked up. "… the Roman Empire!"
He raised one hand and the entire world seemed to shudder.
Then he slammed down his palm and a wave of power erupted forth, like an endless tidal wave!
It swept forth, flipping the earth itself upside down wherever it passed, heading directly for the roman empire.
"YOU DARE!"
A thunderous roar rang out and a gigantic blue barrier was erected at the border of the Roman Empire, forcefully resisting the attack. The barrier rippled and undulated, almost on the verge of collapsing.
A gigantic statue appeared at the border, standing between Alcyoneus and the Roman Empire. Terminus, the Roman God of Boundaries, and the Protector of Rome. His eyes were cold and raged with killing intent as he stared at Alcyoneus.
"Interesting…" Alcyoneus murmured, stroking his chin as he stared at the being in front of him. He appeared to be carved out of Marble, yet his figure resembled a living being, with every single strand of hair being individually carved with detail, almost fluttering in the wind. "Father Tartarus had told me that most of the Gods has perished. It appears that there are still a few remaining…" He twisted his arm, and a Gigantic Thirty-foot-long spear, made of steel, engraved with Golden runes and symbols, as well as a Polished Tip of Diamond, appeared in his grip.
He sneered and lifted the spear up to point at Terminus. "Then, why don't you become another sacrifice to my awakening as the New God of Earth!"
BOOM!
BANG!
At that moment, the earth exploded, and the skies burst simultaneously, and a roaring gale swept towards Alcyoneus. His eyes widened and he had to take two steps back to stabilize his footing. "T-This?"
"New God of Earth? Those are bold words for someone standing in my territory!"
A majestic voice shook the heavens and lightning tore the skies as a figure appeared above terminus.
Arms crossed, clad in a Golden Armor, with a spear slung over his shoulder, Jason Grace, Lightning Emperor Asura! The Emperor of New Rome!
Alcyoneus broke into a laugh. "The emperor? I thought I'd have to at least kill a few generals before you would decide to come out! What's up with this? Are all your generals too scared to fight me?"
Jason's face was impassive as he reached behind himself, slowly pulling out his Golden Javelin. He appeared tiny in contrast with Alcyoneus who was over Fifty feet tall, but his bearing and aura entirely supressed that of his opponent!
"No words? Are you too classy for a bit of trash talk… or just too scared to talk?" Alcyoneus taunted, raising his spear.
"Lord Terminus. Please block the ripples. I will end this battle in an instant." Jason said calmly as he stepped out of the borders of the roman empire.
"Yes Emperor!" Terminus shouted respectfully.
"End this in an instant? Oi oi, you didn't do any trash talk, but now you're spouting a bunch of rand- "Alcyoneus started to speak again, but was forcefully interrupted as Jason's aura was completely unleashed.
"Awaken. Inner Asura State!" Jason Roared and his eyes turned molten golden, his hair flying up into the air as lightning and electricity surged around him, encasing his body in a suit of Armor. The skies seemed to ripple, and then the Destructive aura of the Asura fully erupted.
Jason blurred, then reappeared before Alcyoneus, faster than the latter could even perceive!
Splash!
Jason's strike pierced through Alcyoneus' chest, and sent the Giant tumbling backwards. Before he could even stop himself, Jason had appeared behind him, swing at his back now, striking the same spot.
Splurt!
Blood exploded and Alcyoneus howled as his chest was ripped open. However, Jason was relentless, continuing his assault on the Giant without stopping, striking him from all sides and angles until his entire body was turned into a sieve of flesh, torn and tattered, dripping with blood as he was sent flying away.
"Is that all you have?" Alcyoneus laughed and all the blood and flesh that had just scattered was immediately drawn back into his body like time itself being reversed. His body was returned to its original, pristine condition. He shifted, then thrust his spear upwards.
Jason narrowed his eyes, his javelin thrusting downwards to meet Alcyoneus's strike.
BOOOMMM!
The air trembled and space shattered as Jason's eyes widened, being sent flying backwards as Alcyoneus overwhelmed him!
He flipped in mid-air, his javelin going back for another strike.
"Come!" Alcyoneus roared with glee, his spear like a flood dragon as it rose up, clashing again against Jason's javelin. The power of Typhon erupted and Jason's pupils narrowed into pinpoints as an overwhelming power pounded against his body, sending him skidding backwards. The flow of blood in his body reversed, and he coughed, vomiting up a mouthful of blood!
"Emperor!" Terminus shouted out with a hint of worry.
Alcyoneus roared with laughter, and his height seemed to be growing with every passing second, his aura and power rising with each passing second! On the other hand, Jason was forced on a backfoot, being forced to retreat with each strike!
The ripples and shockwaves of these clashes had devastated the ground around them, and the fabric of space was also growing fragile with each strike.
Jason glanced behind himself, and he could see the strain on Terminus, the strain of holding back the damage of their battle from reaching the Roman empire behind his barrier. Th longer the battle dragged on here, the more dangerous it would get. At the same time, Alcyoneus's advantage would grow with each step that Jason retreated.
"Emperor!"
"Your highness!
"Lord Praetor!
"Lord Jason!"
"Jason!"
Five cries rang out from behind Terminus and five figures suddenly appeared.
Jason's eyes relaxed and he turned to Alcyoneus again. "Warriors of Rome! Heed your emperor's words!"
"We Obey!" the cry rang out in unison.
"Dakota! Release the Emperor's Seal!"
"Gwen! Release the Emperor's Seal!"
"Michael! Release the Emperor's Seal!"
"Reyna! Heed to my words as the emperor of the Twelfth Legion, Fulminata! Release the Grand Asura Seal!"
A young man wearing silver Armor raised his sword, and the hilt of his sword began to glow.
A young woman clasped both her hands together and a glowing tattoo appeared over her forehead, like a Third eye.
An old man lifted his staff and swung it down, causing the glow of his staff to spread across his body.
And the head of them, the Second in Command of the Legion stepped forward. Reyna's eyes flashed as she lifted her arm into the air. The power from the three people behind her gathered into her body, then gathered upon her outstretched palm.
Alcyoneus narrowed his eyes as he stared at them. "What is this? A last-ditch struggle for your survival?"
Jason sneered and charged at him, unwilling to allow him any opportunity to attack his subordinates. "This is the Power of the Twelfth Legion, the power of Rome!"
Thunder erupted from his body, all of his power erupting at once. His aura rose to the peak, his eyes turning Purplish Blue as he clashed against Alcyoneus.
Blood and Oil erupted in a storm as the two powerful warriors met in a clash. The Blood was a sign of Jason's commitment to offense, completely ignoring his defence as he staked his entire strength on his offense. The oil was spilled by Alcyoneus's wounds, and he completely ignored the damage he was taking, since his wounds regenerated at a horrifying speed, quickly nullifying whatever damage Jason managed to inflict.
The thunder around Jason turned into thick chains of electricity, wrapping around Alcyoneus, binding and restricting his movements as they charred and burned his flesh. The oil ignited, setting the giant aflame, but he simply laughed, ignoring the pain as he focused on more ferocious attacks.
The body of a human was inferior to the body of a giant to begin with. With Jason ignoring defence, and Alcyoneus healing all his wounds, soon the contrast between the two of them was apparent. Jason was like a Blood-soaked ghoul, risen from the depths of the underworld, his spear carrying hatred and vengeance!
"Jason! The Seal is unsealed!" Reyna yelled out as she thrust her fist forward.
Alcyoneus struck the moment Jason's eyes flickered at Reyna's voice. Even though he was acting cocky, he was not foolish, and he knew it was safer for him to end the fight before Jason could unleash whatever his trump card was!
Bang!
BOOM!
Right as his spear reached Jason's chest a muffled explosion rang out, and electricity erupted around Jason, forcing his spear back. Jason's hair fluttered, and his eyes were cold as he stared down at Alcyoneus like a god of war. His wounds began to heal at a rapid speed, even faster than Alcyoneus until he was completely healed.
Alcyoneus frowned. Just as he had expected, Jason's trump card was something unexpected! He immediately shifted backwards, seeking to escape.
However, how could Jason allow him to escape so easily? He raised his hand, and the entire area of the sky they stood in was sealed in a web of lightning.
"You dared to come here! Now you cannot leave without paying the price!" Jason growled.
Alcyoneus turned to Jason, a fierce look in his eyes. "Do you seriously think I fear you? Come! Let me show you exactly how powerful I am!"
Jason smiled. He had already calculated Alcyoneus's strength. It was lower than his own. If it wasn't for the immortality, Alcyoneus would never have been a match for him! "You aren't strong enough to speak so arrogantly!"
"He isn't. but what about me?"
The space around them froze, them trembled with an intense fear. Jason's eyes widened as his gaze turned towards the distance, to where the Orthrys empire lay. A gigantic figure was flying towards them, smiling cruelly.
a huge merman, much larger than the rest, with the upper body of a tall and muscular man, with a long green beard and hair, along with the horns of a bull. Oceanus appeared to be riding a chariot pulled by huge crawfish with a serpent as a weapon.
Jason's eyes were filled with horror and fear as he beheld the Titan riding towards Rome at full speed. In that moment, his mind raced, running through a thousand different ideas and scenarios, before finalizing on the simple truth.
He must defeat both Oceanus and Alcyoneus. And he must defeat Oceanus before he reaches the borders of Rome. If not, their battle would simply be too much for even a god like Terminus!
Jason had no choice. He lifted his javelin. His eyes widened to the limit and he gave a roar that shook the heavens.
"Asura State! Awaken!"
Jason's aura erupted and the phantom of the Asura appeared behind his back, a gigantic humanoid who stood as tall as the heavens. His feet were like mountains and his six arms stretched out in both directions as they showcased an unstoppable might!
"Burn! Divine Lifeblood of Zeus!"
The symbol of a Thunderbolt appeared over Jason's head and his body turned into a mini thunderstorm, all the energy within his body being converted into Lightning!
"Rage! Chaos Essence Aura!"
The energy surrounding the heavens and the earth was all absorbed, as if being sucked into a funnel. The core of this absorption was a single glowing drop of pure chaos, floating inside Jason's Inner was like a greedy Black hole, absorbing all the energy and converting it into Jason's strength.
"Pierce through all of existence! Bring nihility and destruction upon my enemies!"
With his aura at the maximum, his power at the peak, all his energy being released for a single attack, the lightning energy suddenly began to shrink. From covering Kilometres of the sky, it started shrinking at an ever-increasing speed, before being concentrated only over Jason.
"Master Bolt! UNSEAL!"
A javelin of pure concentrated power appeared in Jason's grip in that one moment. Power that could annihilate mountains and dry up seas. Power beyond his limits. His ultimate attack.
"Lightning Step!"
Jason charged forward, the javelin striking Alcyoneus first. It passed through Alcyoneus like he was an illusion, his entire body evaporating into a misty ash under the terrifying power of the attack. Alcyoneus never even had a chance to react as his entire body was destroyed.
Jason continued charging forward, like a lightning bolt streaking across the sky as it thrust towards Oceanus.
Oceanus roared with outrage and the serpent in his grasp twirled as he rode forward to meet Jason's attack head on. "JUNIOR! YOU DARE LOOK DOWN UPON THIS TITAN? EVEN YOUR FATHER WOULDN'T DARE!"
Jason's entire body had turned into a bolt of lightning, fusing together with the master bolt as he unleashed the limits of his power, before colliding with Oceanus.
The Power of two Celestial Class warriors colliding at full strength shook the heavens and the earth, splitting the entire world into two halves.
BOOOOOMMMM!
Oceanus roared, then he was blown backwards, the serpent in his grip disintegrating, his Armor exploding as his scales were scorched under the devastating power of the lightning!
Oceanus had no way to stop himself or even reduce the intensity of the attack. To his horror, even as he watched, his arms were both destroyed by the lightning, turning to charcoal as he flew down and crashed into the earth below.
He gasped, trembling with horror. In that one strike, he had sensed power similar to that of the King of the Olympians… Zeus!
He stared up, into the depths of the sky where Jason stood, body flickering with lightning. The Phantom of the Asura was still behind him. One hand held a Gigantic spear, another held a Javelin of pure lightning. One hand held a Glowing drop of blood, burning and exploding with lightning, while the other hand held a ball of pure lightning.
The last two hands were still empty, showing his potential to grow even more!
Jason stared down like a lofty god descending upon the world of mortals. That strike had exhausted all his power. But he couldn't relax yet. He must first drive Oceanus away!
"Oceanus! If you dare to lead your armies to war against Rome… we will not hesitate to destroy your kingdom! I will personally cast you into Tartarus! If you want to test me, come back to see how strong you are. If not, then keep your word, and stay neutral in the war between the God's and the Titans!" Jason's voice boomed forward like a celestial Decree.
Oceanus nodded his head repeatedly, still trembling. He couldn't be blamed. That was simply because, in that one Split-second, he had felt the aura of death. If Jason's attack had been a little bit stronger, he would have been finished!
He slowly rose to his feet, then wordlessly retreated, leaving in shameful defeat!
And Rome resounded with cheers and cries of relief as the deadly Elder Titan retreated in defeat against their emperor.
But Jason's expression was grim and tense as he looked out into the distance. He could still sense that… despite having been annihilated, Alcyoneus was still alive. He had somehow survived even that attack that could kill immortals, and fled from the battle. And more importantly… he looked down at his trembling hand, still holding onto the Master Bolt of Zeus. "I need more strength… it looks like I have to go into training again."
A.N.: so, this was a pretty fun chapter to write. I mean, I originally planned to have a battle between Oceanus and Jason, but I forgot and wrote a scene between Alcyoneus and Jason instead. I felt really stupid there, but was too lazy toc change such an intense fighting scene and rewrite it, and it also allows me to have a smoother progression in the plot, so a double victory for me.
on the other side of things, I'm glad for my supportive readers and thank you all for letting me rant. I'm not going to delete this story, since it has too much of effort in it. I'm going to continue with the best of my efforts so I can refine my writing skills and take up my next fanfiction story with a better eye. Hopefully, this motivation lasts till the end of the Second book at least, since it is, pretty honestly a quite lengthy story.
Also, I'm Changing the Cover of the Story, so do let me know if this on is more suitable than the old one.
Ciao,with peace from Manhattan!